BANGLADESH ETHNIC COMMUNITIES PROTEST ISLAMIZATION OF CONSTITUTION

The Bangladesh government’s dramatic turn around from secularism to Islamism has enraged the indigenous population, who are demanding to be recognized in a proposed re- draft of the country's constitution. The nation is poised to amend the constitution, which is likely to be tabled in the parliament on Thursday. The move has been vehemently protested by The Bangladesh government’s dramatic turn around from secularism to Islamism has enraged the indigenous population, who are demanding to be recognized in a proposed re- draft of the country's constitution. The nation is poised to amend the constitution, which is likely to be tabled in the parliament on Thursday. The move has been vehemently protested by independence war veterans, the pro-secularist lobby and social justice activists. Dissent is also being heard from within the ruling party and its pro- left alliance partners. The superior court, in a landmark judgment last July, asked the government to restore secularism in the spirit of the bloody war of independence of 1971. Secular activists charge the government has deliberately adopted dilly-dally tactics while the charter changes are considered. Former guerrilla leader Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma a. k.a. Shantu Larma, chairman of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council, on Thursday rejected the proposed Islamization of the constitution and demanded constitutional recognition of the indigenous or Adivasi community, who have resided in the country for centuries.

The guerrilla leader, who fought a bush war for two decades, demanded the government drop a proposal to keep a Koranic verse in the preamble of the constitution -- "Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim (in the name of Allah, most gracious, most merciful)" and Islam as the state religion. "A state can't have a religion," said Larma, who signed the historic peace accord between guerillas and the government 13 years ago. The treaty recognizes the inhabitants of hill forest as indigenous communities, acknowledges its traditional governance system and established regional autonomy. However, the constitution does not acknowledge them as Adivasis. The matter of recognition of the indigenous people came to the fore recently following denial by a Bangladesh diplomat in the United Nations that there were no indigenous people in the country. The statement has been construed as another step by the government to further erode the already limited rights of indigenous people. Since Bangladesh gained independence four decades ago, the 35 ethnic groups that represent nearly 2 percent of the total 158 million majoritarian Sunni Muslims have demanded to be recognized as indigenous communities.

Arguments for Agnosticism

Agnosticism is the position that it is impossible to know many things especially questions surrounding the ultimate reality behind our existence, what happens to us when we die and the ontology (or intrinsic nature) of God. The question: ‘what is God’ must be a prerequisite to the question ‘does God exist’, because it makes no sense for one to try and prove the existence of something without defining what it is that one is trying to prove exists. The moment that the theist admits that they do not know what God is or what the nature of God is they have entered into the realm of Agnosticism. Gnosis is a Greek term that means ‘knowledge’ and for example Christian Gnostics claimed to have Esoteric Gnosis. The opposite is Agnosticism, or to claim to be without knowledge.  

In order to understand the position of the agnostic one has to begin with the branch of philosophy called epistemology. Epistemology is simply the study of knowledge, how we know what we know and distinguishing what we know to be true from what we believe to be true. It is my firm perspective that anyone who humbles themselves and deciphers what they know compared to what they believe that they will inevitably arrive at agnosticism (the position that it is impossible to know many things) and hopefully as a result they will abandon organized religion.

In short knowledge should not be seen as simply the accumilation and memorization of information by the the cognitive processes of the brain. Rather knowledge in an epistemic context has more to do with concrete data that is justifiable, falsifiable, verifiable, repeatable and thus the data translates to a warranted belief through a rational and empirical methodology. In short we know what we know because we can observe and test what we know through the scientific method. Anything that cannot be tested, observed and rationalized through our individual and collective efforts is not knowedge rather unjustified belief.

What we would want the followers of any organized religion to focus on is what they do NOT know even if they have beliefs about the unknown. Metaphysical claims such as the existence of God, Angels, Demons, Jinn, Heaven and Hell should be categorized as unknowns. No one truely knows what they are. Hence they are outside of the scope of rationality. Beliefs in the occurance of supernatural miracles however, such as Jesus walking on water or Muhammad splitting the moon, would be deemed irrational due to the fact that the claims are not metaphysical claims rather these are claims that directly have to do with the laws of physics that we do know. So there is rational, irrational and simply outside of the scope of rationality. While Theists can believe in a metaphysical reality the specific beliefs they have about metaphysical entities must be categorized as unknowns, unjustified beliefs, philisophical conjecture, and theorhetical possbilities based on imagination. Beliefs in supernatural miracles however are different than beliefs in metaphysical realities and are irrational because the claim is made that the laws of physics as we know them are defied and there is no rational basis for this.

So allow me to demonstrate that Muslims and Christians are actually closet agnostics. In Islam there is this notion of Ilm al Ghayb (knowledge of the unseen). This knowledge of the unseen in a nutshell is the ultimate reality of all things and only God posseses this knowledge. God reveals this ‘ilm-al-ghayb’ to special individuals, namely the Prophets of God, however even the Prophets of God are limited in their capacity at truely knowing what the mystical things they have come to experience are. Generally through esotericism and mysticism individuals have claimed to have had experiences that gave them spiritual knowledge not otherwise known to collective humanity. However even if an individual claims such Esoteric Gnosis they still do not know what it is they have experienced. The experience is a mystery and therefore the only real Gnosis they have come upon is that there is a mystery beyond the biology, chemistry and physics of all that appears on the surface. In reality their inability to know what it is that they have experienced brings them right back to Agnosticism. 

The moment the Muslim and Christian admits that they do not know what God is, what Angels are, what Jinn are etc. their beliefs collapse into agnosticism. There is a common discussion between the Purist/Literalist Salafi Muslims and the Ashari-Maturidi-Sufi Muslims. The purists will argue for example when the Qur’an describes the Divine in anthropomorphic terms that the true nature of the HANDS or FACE of God is unknown. Likewise, when the Qur’an mentions the ARSH or Throne of the Divine, which the Divine has ISTAWA or risen above (7:54), Muslims agree that the nature of the throne is simply unknown to collective humanity. The Ashari-Maturidi-Mu’tazili-Sufi types of Muslims will try and apply a metaphorical interpretation, but in the end agree with the Purists that the true nature of the Throne or Hands of God are unknown. Again, when one breaks down the theological perspective of Muslims and Christians not really knowing something, especially about what God is, what we find is that they are falling into the category of agnosticism. Therefore their agnosticism cannot be superior to anyone elses agnosticism. 

Epistemology totally recognizes that people have beliefs about unknown. In effect there are three types of Agnostics. Agnostic Theists, Agnostic Atheists and Agnostics who don’t care. Agnostic Theists have beliefs about God but ultimately admit that they don’t know what God is or what God ‘wants’ (if God wants anything at all). Agnostic Atheists admit that they cannot prove a negative or prove that God (or any metaphysical entity) does not exist but they believe that most of the evidence points to there not being a God (at least the gods that organized religions describe). The third category is self explained. 

Two beautiful sources for agnosticism in past human civilizations include Greek philosopher Socrates and Chinese philosopher Laotzi. The latter is known as the Father of Daosim and author of the Daodejing where he writes as follows:

The Dao that can be described is not the absolute Dao;

the name that can be given is not the absolute name.

Nameless it is the source of heaven and earth;

From Laotzi comes the approach of an unknowable God. The idea that any description that any one gives about God simply cannot really be what God is. However the notion that one can interact with oneself and the environment spiritually (i.e. interact with God) and not knowing the ontology or nature of that spiritual experience are two different issues. 

The story of Socrates is a bit more inspirational. Here you have an individual who goes to an Oracle that makes a bold statement: no one is as wise as Socrates. Now pay attention to the fact that the Oracle did not say that Socrates is the WISEST, rather the statement was that no one is as wise as Socrates. This message from the Oracle is something that Socrates himself struggled with because Socrates himself believed that he had no wisdom at all. He claimed that he had no knowledge. Eventually he came to realize what was meant by that statement. Socrates was taken to court for “corrupting the youth” and for denying the religion/gods of the Greeks. Socrates went to the people regarded as wise in the community, namely the politicians, artisans and poets in order to prove the Oracle wrong. What Socrates realized from his experiences was that while each individual he encountered had some wisdom in terms of their trade that they actually did not know more than him in terms of life’s big questions. Finally Socrates had come to realize what the Oracle meant. Socrates admitted that he knew nothing. Admitting to ignorance is in fact the ultimate wisdom that he had and therefore no one was wiser than Socrates. Socrates was sentenced to death due to his “blasphemy”. This story of Socrates being killed for standing up for Philosophy is far more intellectually and spiritually inspirational than that of Jesus who was killed for making erroneous metaphysical claims. 

In any event we hope from the bottom of my heart that Muslims and Christians seriously reflect, humbly admit, openly embrace and effectively grow from their inevtiable position of not knowing. Once they do that they will have renounced their position of wanting to implement and force their religion on others and especially their position that they have arrived at some type of exclusive understanding and absolutism concerning reality and existence.

Journalist Lisa Daftari : Her Conversation

Introduction: Since the fraudulent June 12th, 2009 Presidential Election in the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI), an increasingly emboldened opposition, the Green Movement, has arisen to demand the overthrow of the IRI. The Green Movement refuses to desist from launching massive street protests in Tehran, and other major Iranian cities. All this is occurring despite violence wreaked upon thousands of valiant regime opponents by the ruling Mullahs and President Ahmadinejad.

To explore these emerging revolutionary prospects in Iran and turned to Lisa Daftari, an Iranian-American award-winning journalist with expertise in counterterrorism and the Middle East, particularly in Iranian affairs. Daftari has been in the forefront of communicating the important views of the Iranian opposition via her brilliant writing and commentary, as well as facilitating communications from within Iran to the world media.

Born in a suburb of New York City, she moved to Los Angeles, where she received a Masters degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Southern California.

Lisa has a gift for spotting an intriguing human story, luring the reader in, then gradually revealing her passion for the written word in lucid displays of prose. She is highly professional in her line of work. Lisa is a multifaceted, multitalented artist. She is a phenomenally gifted pianist who has the same control over the keyboard and the range of dynamics and finesse of touch as she has with written word. She is also a trained vocalist and has perfect pitch, which is the rare ability of a person to identify or re-create a given musical note without the benefit of an external reference.

Lisa recognizes the importance of keeping people informed. “Democracy does not work without a truly vibrant press. We, as journalists, have an obligation to sort it all out and supply quality news. Although many of the MSM report some stories well, like hurricanes and sporting events, thousands of exposés never get written because of the lack of investigative journalism. I feel this deprives the public of critical information they need to be intelligently informed,” says Lisa.

Her extensive stories have appeared on CBS, NBC, PBS, NPR, the Washington Post and Voice of America. Lisa is a syndicated columnist and frequently appears on numerous radio and television programs. She has her own column in Front Page Magazine where she serves as the publication’s Iran analyst. Currently, Lisa is a Middle East commentator on the Fox News Channel.

The opposition Green Movement emerged spontaneously two years ago to challenge the results of the disputed 2009 presidential election. With the Green Movement in Iran, which began before the uprising in Tunisia at the beginning of this year, how is the so-called Arab Spring, the revolutions in Syria and elsewhere, impacting the freedom movement in Iran?

Daftari: The Freedom Movement was then, as it is now, an enduring democratic movement that started long before the 2009 Presidential Election in Iran. It was only triggered by the Election. According to most Middle East experts, Iran’s Green (Freedom) Movement inspired and triggered the Arab Spring. Iran has had the distinction of resisting assimilation by Arab invaders for over 14-centuries. Iran is the pacesetter in the region and radical Islam is only a passing aberration in its history. The millions who bravely filled the streets all over Iran protesting what they were convinced was the mullahs’ fraudulent re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, are still determined to defeat the Islamists and once again make Iran a beacon of democracy for other nations to emulate. The regime is rapidly collapsing and the Freedom Movement is distancing itself from any religious connections. Far from being defeated or dispirited, the secularists of Iran are battling on every front and by all means at their disposal to dislodge the mullahs from power.

Based on your contacts inside Iran, in what ways do you see the regime losing its grip on power?

Daftari: The mullahs’ government is not about governing through Islam. On the contrary, it is about usurping unlimited funds and regional power in the name of Islam, Shiite Islam to be exact.  But the seeds for the auto-destruction of the Islamic system were implanted within from its very inception. The system is a hybrid concoction of fanatic religionists who aimed to establish a fantasized Caliphate-like society. To begin with, there never was an ideal Caliphate society to be reborn. Even at Muhammad’s deathbed the various contenders for power began their infighting. The envisioned system is part democratic and part authoritarian. The two are like water and oil and do not mix. Therefore, the Islamic Republic’s system leaves considerable fissures that are bound to bring the entire structure down. At a practical level, the various factions within the system vie for a greater and greater share of power and resources. And this infighting, coupled with inner greed, corruption and incompetence assure the system’s demise.

How might the U.S. jump-start a SUCCESSFUL grassroots revolution in Iran?

Daftari: The Obama administration has been completely unhelpful to the grassroots revolution in Iran. The administration, and Obama in particular, failed to speak in support of the Movement, much less aid it in any significant material way. I have repeatedly proposed ways and means of supporting the Iranian people to remove the Islamists and their influence. I firmly believe that the valiant Iranian secularists will eventually prevail over the mullahs’ regime. What the U.S. can do is to strongly side with them to expedite the mullahs’ demise. It is indeed in the U.S.’s best and vital interests to come to the aid of the Iranian people who can be of the best friends they can have in the region.

What are your thoughts about the recent overture by Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton regarding extending multi-entry visas to Iranian students?

Daftari: I hope this is an indication that the Obama administration is finally waking up to the existing reality in Iran.  Regretfully, there has been only a partial awakening of our government concerning international diplomacy, particularly where the Middle East and counterterrorism are involved. Instead of befriending and supporting the people of Iran, President Obama finds himself on the losing side with the Islamists. The people of Iran question Obama’s quick and zealous public support of the people of Egypt yet appeared untouched by the valiant attempt the Iranians made in 2009 to overthrow their government. Recall that it was the Iranian people’s massive movement against the re-election of Ahmadinejad that inspired the “Arab Spring.”

So, in essence, extending multi-entry visas may be a feeble attempt by the Obama Administration to placate the Iranian people. This token action, although long overdue, is welcome. It shouldn’t stop here. The Obama administration needs to abandon its heavily pro-Islamic policy that is buy the Islamic regime ample time to further develop its nuclear weapons and will assuredly bring disaster to America. If we are to stand and defend American ideals, we must align ourselves as great champions of democracy and human rights with the freedom-seeking secular forces of the Middle East.

It would behoove all freedom-loving individuals to call on President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton to proclaim unequivocal support for the Iranian people and to back that claim with concrete effective peaceful actions. It is the best investment that the U.S. can make in attracting the powerful nation of Iran as a vital ally.

Do you think the deadly confrontation between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic of Iran is inevitable if the mullahs are allowed to make the bomb?

Daftari: For the past 32-years, thousands of dissident students, intellectuals and journalists have been systematically arrested, imprisoned and tortured for the sole crime of speaking up against repressive rule. Many are still languishing in prisons, some have died, and some have simply vanished with no record of what happened to them. Not only has the regime terrorized its own people, but they have also demonstrated a high priority for supporting global terrorism. Their support of extremist terrorist groups has extended far beyond neighboring countries but also as far away as Latin America. Hezbollah in Lebanon has been generously nurtured with funds, weapons and training. Hamas and the Islamic Jihad were assisted in numerous ways, and a professional army of Shiite Iraqis was trained and armed to be used in the present Iraqi theatre. Separately, Muqtada al-Sadr and his militia—the Mahdi Army—is directly funded, armed and controlled by the present Islamic regime, a gift of the former president Khatami to his successor—Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Stealth work on the nuclear program, in clear and defiant violation of the non-proliferation treaty to which the Islamic Republic is a signatory, proceeded ahead at full speed and with generous funding. It is obvious that the intention of the mullahs is not and has never been to protect the Iranian people or their nationalist interests.  The mullahs have proved that their most critical objective is to spread terrorism and radical Islam, at the cost of the Iranian people and the rest of humanity.

At the moment, I would not count on the U.S. Administration to do anything. We have a musical chairs type of government. Democrats out, Republicans in. Republicans in, Democrats out. They are more intent on fighting each other than taking on radical ideologies, and that will cost Americans and the people of the Middle East in the long run. The American public won’t support a war either. They have been burned by the misadventure in Iraq and they are plenty upset about being bogged down in Afghanistan.

Recently, the former president of the Islamic Republic, President Mohammad Khatami, asked for national reconciliation. What are your thoughts about the former president?

Daftari: Well, it was on Khatami’s watch that many students’ lives were extinguished solely for speaking out against the regime. Shamelessly, during the July 9, 1999 university uprising in Tehran, Khatami called the students, “A bunch of hooligans,” while his guards and police brutally attacked students in their dormitories, even throwing some students out of third floor windows. I find it very ironic that he was welcomed at Harvard University to lecture students of the same age and faculty on practicing tolerance. It was during President Khatami’s term that prisoners of conscience were routinely tortured to extract confessions about the crimes they did not commit. Some of the victims were permanently incapacitated while others died under brutal torture. Regretfully, no human rights organizations were allowed to inspect the prisons.

What are your final thoughts about where is Iran headed?

Daftari: Despite everything, I am rather optimistic about the future of Iran. This is indeed the dawn of a new day.  There are many factors that point to an imminent coming of age for the Iranian people and the end of a bloody and brutal era for the regime.  A nation of 70 million, an overwhelming, zealous youth population, a distancing from and despising of oppressive Islam and a multitude of educated, savvy, technologically advanced Iranians will not tolerate or endure the yolk of this repressive regime much longer. The conditions for a perfect storm are in place. It is up to the international community, and in particular, the American administration, who has been the hesitant, halfhearted, unconvincing leader of the free world, to nurture, support and encourage significant changes in Iran and the region.

Court theatrics sees Islam rear its ugly head again

Supporters rally outside court. Herald Sun

The preposterous excuses and Pythonesque theatrics of Carnita Matthews and her very vocal supporters outside a Sydney court this week would be comic, if they weren’t so threatening.

The 46-year-old mother of seven, wearing a full black niqab showing just her eyes, has successfully tied the justice system up in knots for the past year, simply to avoid paying a $197 traffic fine.

Described as being “deliberately malicious and … ruthless” by the magistrate who convicted her last November of falsely claiming a “racist” police highway patrol officer tried to tear off her veil during a random breath test, Matthews escaped her six-month jail sentence on appeal before the NSW District Court on Monday.

Ironically, appeal judge Clive Jeffreys could not be certain beyond reasonable doubt that it was Matthews who had lodged the complaint against Sen-Constable Paul Fogarty, because (drum roll) a person alleged to be her was wearing the niqab when she arrived at Campbelltown police station last June.

“All we know is that a person with a black burqa came in with a man in a brown suit with an envelope and that’s it,” said Judge Jeffreys.

But somebody lied about Sen-Constable Fogarty, whose innocence and gentlemanly restraint in the face of Matthews’ persistent provocation were evident on the 20-minute in-car police video recording, without which his career would certainly have been in jeopardy.

The prosecution was unable to satisfy Judge Jeffreys that the liar was Matthews, despite the fact her friend, former Guantanamo Bay detainee Mamdouh Habib, alleged to radio 2GB’s Chris Smith on Tuesday that he had accompanied her to the police station to lodge the complaint.

Moreover, Channel 7 has footage of Matthews allegedly signing a statutory declaration and driving to Campbelltown police station with Habib.

Neither Habib nor anyone from Channel 7 was asked to give evidence, which makes you wonder if the prosecution’s heart was really in it.

Maybe the case was too hot to handle. It has grown from a simple traffic fine for a woman with a string of driving offences, to a core test of political Islam: whether a veiled Muslim woman has the right to refuse a police officer’s lawful request that she identify herself.

The answer is no. That right does not exist under our law. But that doesn’t stop some Islamist activists pushing for it, as if it is their due.

Regardless of who signed the false complaint against Sen-Constable Fogarty, it was the intimidating behaviour of some of Matthews’ male supporters outside court this week that was most offensive.

The bearded men who chanted “Allah akbar” (Allah is great) as they marched roughshod on cameramen weren’t behaving normally.

Their theatrics were a declaration of war – on Australia, on the media, on police.

Linking arms and striding down the street, chanting the phrase we have heard terrorists utter when they plough a plane into a building or commit some other appalling crime, was a show of power by people who only seem to want to obey their god.

It looked like a direct challenge to Australian law and order.

We increasingly see the same challenge whenever a hardline Islamist appears in court, as the call goes out for “brothers” to run “protection” for the accused.

Matthews’ husband, Hamdi Abu Ibrahim, sent out the call on his Facebook page this week and later thanked: “All the hero’s (sic) and lions of Allah whom (sic) had the chance to come to the court and fight for the sake of Allah . . . Allah has granted your oppressed sister victory over his enemies and he granted us a judge that from the word go he was defending your sister where everyone else was determined to see her jailed, but Allah had other plans. They plot, but Allah is the best of plotters.”

His Facebook page, which had the profile picture of a bloodied fist replaced yesterday by a handcuffed figure in a burqa, contains messages from supporters such as: “Allah akbar, may all the pigs burn in hell inshallah”.

It also features videos of Osama bin Laden, slurs against infidels and “Kufaars” (non-Muslims), “American pig savages” and “Zionist dogs”.

For example, last weekend Ibrahim wrote: “Ya zionist dogs there will be a day very soon that youll find no sheltr nor a wall to hind behind and we will eat your flesh and spit it to our dogs to chew off.”

And this: “How long are we going to stay weak, no more Mr Nice Guy, we will defend our Islam and our sisters with our blood, blood, blood.”

A video also appears with the title “8 US soldiers killed in Iraq” and the message from Ibrahim: “Keep them Comming”.

Another video, since removed, has the message: “Watch the American pigs the Aussie pigs the British pigs soldiers raping your Muslim sister.”

There is also, ominously, talk on the page about disrupting a coming rally in Sydney by the Australian Defence League, an anti-Islamist group. A similar protest against shariah law in Melbourne last month had to be shut down by police after violent clashes.

On Ibrahim’s website there is a lone brave voice of reason, from a woman he refers to as his “sister”, “Philosopha Phatoom”.

“The way u men handled this is very wrong … may Allah take away this hated and anger from ur hearts,” she wrote yesterday. “I’m not judging … i can only assure u that setting an example of Islam is not that way …Remember Islam was never spread by the sword, it caught peoples Hearts.”

The vast majority of moderate Muslims in Australia want no truck with Islamist ideology. Many know all too well the turmoil it has caused in their countries of origin.

It is for them, as much as for the rest of the community, that NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell and his Police Minister Mike Gallagher need to send a firm message that no one is above the law.

The burqa or niqab, as several Muslims have pointed out, is not a requirement of the Koran, which advises women only to dress modestly. But it has become a potent symbol of political Islam.

Gallagher has flagged a law change to allow Muslim women to use fingerprints to verify their identity instead of lifting their veils, but he must avoid creating special laws for any particular group.

Australia is one of the most successful immigrant nations on earth, and it would be a pity to follow the European path of banning Islamic face coverings, because the result would be further repression of women.

In order to safeguard freedom, not least of Muslim women to wear the veil, then every challenge to authority must be countered when it arises

Hostile Rhetoric Turns Up Heat on Iranian Christians

Increased public statements against Christianity in Iran have intensified pressures on Christians, sources said, but at their core they reflect Islamic leaders’ dismay with the growth of house churches and may signal dissension within Iran’s leadership.

“The reality is most of the house churches are so hidden that the government can’t do anything, and they know it,” said a regional expert who requested anonymity. “They just see how the house churches are still growing.”

 

The source said that since mass arrests at the beginning of this year, Christians have been more cautious.
 
Another Iranian Christian, a pastor, said the comments likely foretell more arrests.
 
“I believe that a new wave of persecution is underway,” he said. “The authorities are in the process of evaluating the situation.”
 
Some sources told Compass the comments of Islamic leaders may indicate a power struggle between Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This bodes ill for Christians and minorities in general, they said.
 
“When there is conflict in the government and division, then all the minorities will have a hard time,” said another Christian Iranian who requested anonymity. “If, for example, Ayatollah     [Mohammad Taghi Mesbah] Yazdi says ‘We have to end the Christian movement,’ as he said a few weeks ago, that is enough for his followers in the government to go and arrest Christians.”
 
In May Yazdi said authorities have not done enough to quench the growth of Christian house churches, considering the “massive funding” the government has spent toward that end. Yazdi made his statement in a meeting with the heads of the Islamic Propagation Center of Qom. His statement was originally publicized on the Iranian Student News Agency website, according to Iranian Christian news agency Mohabat News.
 
Given the “the growth of Christianity in some of the provinces, the actions taken by the government and the judicial authorities, and the massive funding of such programs, the desired results have not been achieved, and this is partly due to the undisciplined attitude and lack of proper supervision of these programs,” Yazdi reportedly said.
 
Yazdi suggested that the government set up a central system to monitor and coordinate the suppression of churches.
 
Another Christian source said the political situation in Iran is too complicated to predict future arrests on the basis of religious leaders’ public statements. The source, who requested anonymity, said that Yazdi is one of Iran’s most influential clerics and receives government funds to carry out his work. This year he has received a fraction of the funds he has in the past. His public statement could be a request for more money, the source said.
 
“Maybe he’s just asking for more money,” said the source. “There are elements that indicate there could be another wave of arrests, but maybe he’s saying something different: ‘We should be changing our tactics [against Christians], so I need more money.’”
 
Today Mohabat reported that a faculty member of Mehdi Seminary in Qom claimed that “the enemies of Islam” are providing US$50,000 a year to some house churches. The general director of comparative religious studies, Hojatoleslam Tarashioon, was speaking at the seminary in Qom, the country’s Shiite center and breeding ground for Iran’s Islamic clerics and leaders.
 
“This cult in recent years has become active, and today they work under the pretext of cultural and educational centers and have expanded their activities in several provinces,” Tarashioon said, according to Mohabat.
 
Religious leaders also publicly attacked the country’s underground house church movement last fall. In October, Khamenei said Iran’s enemies wanted to shake the country’s religious and societal values through the spread of Baha’ism and a network of Christian house churches.
 
Experts believe these public attacks on Christians, and particularly Khamenei’s, resulted in authorities arresting over 120 Iranian Christians between December and January. Most of those detained were converts from Islam.
 
Still in Prison
Of those arrested at the beginning of this year, all but three were released, according to a recent report from the Elam Ministries.
 
Farshid Fathi, 32, has been incarcerated since Dec. 26, 2010 at the notorious Evin prison in Tehran. Authorities refuse to release him and have pressed no formal charges. They have kept Fathi in solitary confinement for months and have used psychological torture methods on him to extract more information on Christian networks in Iran. They have allowed him to speak to his family only once a week, according to Mohabat. Fathi is married and has two children.
 
Authorities have kept Abrahim Firuzi in prison at Robat Karim near Tehran since Jan. 8, according to Elam. They charged him with evangelizing, keeping many copies of the Bible and apostasy, or leaving Islam, reported the ministry. His family is unable to pay bail.
 
Another Christian, Noorollah Ghabitizadeh, has been in prison since Dec. 24, 2010, in Defzul in western Iran, according to Elam.
 
A fourth Christian, Masoud Delijani, was arrested on March 17 in Kermanshah and remains in prison.
 
Ethnic Armenian Christian Vahik Abrahamian has been in prison since Sept. 4, 2010. On May 1 authorities released his wife, Sonia Keshish-Avanesian, who was imprisoned with him, according to Elam. Abrahamian also spent two months in prison between February and April of last year. He was released on bail and re-arrested in September.
 
Yousef Naderkhani, a Christian from Rasht, has been in prison since October 2009. Authorities found him guilty of apostasy on Nov. 13, 2010, and handed him the death penalty. His lawyer has filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, and Nadarkhani is awaiting a trial date. Authorities have allegedly treated Nadarkhani harshly, both physically and mentally.  
 
On May 31, authorities arrested another Christian, Behnam Irani of Karaj, according to a reliable source.
 
Iran’s Constitution gives Christians “protected” religious minority status, but in practice they face substantial societal discrimination, according to the U.S. Department of State’s International Religious Freedom Report 2010.

Draft laws for mosques and churches face criticism in EGYPT

Although new laws regulating the construction of houses of worship have been sought by politicians and human rights advocates long before the Jan. 25 revolution, there has been little progress toward passing such regulations.

A draft law proposes that building permit applications for houses of worship should go through the public engineering office in the governorate where the church or mosque would be built. It sets a maximum period of two months for approval or rejection of an application, and stipulates that no house of worship can built closer than a kilometer to another church or mosque.

A spokesman for the Egyptian Evangelical Church, Akram Lamei, said he believes that the draft law has a number of flaws, including the "strange" condition of setting two or more houses of worship apart by at least a kilometer.

"We have three Christian sects in Egypt. Such a large space of one kilometer could be accepted when implemented on two churches of one sect, but it's too much for two churches from different sects," he said. "In some towns and villages with high density, we have churches very close to each other to serve a number of communities in one area."

On Sunday, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies sent a memo to Prime Minister Essam Sharaf  asking the Cabinet to withdraw its proposal for a unified law for houses of worship.

"The provisions of the bill are directed explicitly at recognized religions in Egypt, which means that no consideration is given to the exercise of these rights by followers of religions or sects unrecognized by Islamic jurisprudence or representatives of the Coptic church," according to the memo.

Egyptian Coptic Christians, who make up about 10% of the country's population, have long complained of what they call "crippling procedures" in order to construct new churches, while Muslims faced no obstacles in building new mosques. Prior to Jan. 25, Christians had to obtain special permission for new construction from the Interior Ministry's State Security Services. In many cases, approval was never granted.

This often resulted in Copts trying to get around the rule by turning residential blocks and social services buildings into churches, resulting in many deadly clashes with neighboring Muslims over the last few years.

EGYPT: Muslim Brotherhood youth break away to form new political party

The Muslim Brotherhood is struggling with more dissent in its ranks after a group of young members broke away from the Islamist organization's political party to form a secular party that is more inclusive of other cultures and religions.

The new party, known as the Egyptian Current, is a direct challenge to the Brotherhood and follows the expulsion this week of Dr. Abdul Monem aboul Fotouh, a prominent member who defied the organization by running for president.  Fatouh has the support of thousands of young members, many of whom reportedly have had their memberships in the organization frozen. 

“We are convinced that Egypt is currently in need of political parties that rise beyond specific ideologies. The Egyptian mainstream political current should have a real voice in the country’s politics,” Mohammed Abbas told the Los Angeles Times. Abbas said he suspects he and others will also be expelled from the Brotherhood.  

Abbas said the Egyptian Current will be a secular party with Islamic and Arabic roots but will represent Egyptians belonging to different cultural and religious backgrounds: “We need a party which will look after the interests of all Egyptians," he said. Founding members announced that the party will take the slogan of “freedom, building and pioneering.”

Young Brotherhood members have often voiced their dismay at the policies of the Brotherhood's senior members, most notably after leaders of the organization's Justice and Freedom political party were appointed by the group’s politburo rather than being elected by a committee of party members.

Abbas, who represented the Brotherhood at the Jan. 25 Youth Coalition during the revolution that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak, was also angered by the group's decision to ban its members from taking part in “the second revolution” protests in Tahrir Square in May.

The announcement of the Egyptian Current comes days after the Brotherhood officially axed Fotouh. The group announced that Fotouh violated its regulations by launching a presidential bid despite the Brotherhood’s decision not to field a candidate. The dissension comes as the Brotherhood -- free from the persecution of Mubarak's police state -- has emerged as the country's top political player. It is poised to win as many as 25% of the seats in Parliament in September elections.

But it is increasingly unable to mend the differences between the aspirations of its youth and its conservative Islamic tenets. While members of the Egyptian Current expressed willingness to remain in the Brotherhood, many officials in the organization's guidance bureau demanded their dismissal from the group Wednesday. No decisions were made but Abbas believes that they are likely to be expelled.

CAIR Loses IRS Status

Donations to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) no longer are tax deductible after the organization was among 275,000 tax-exempt organizations purged earlier this month by the Internal Revenue Service.
The groups failed to file required annual reports, known as form 990s, detailing their revenues and expenses, for three consecutive years. CAIR had been a non-profit on its own, but in 2007, the IRS approved a separate tax-exempt CAIR Foundation. The foundation never filed any subsequent reports. Both the foundation and CAIR national are on the purge list.
CAIR has 30 state chapters throughout the country, many of which have their own non-profit designations which remain active.

While the IRS believes most of the organizations stripped of status have shut down, those still operating can apply for reinstatement. Meanwhile, CAIR's web site continues to solicit donations by touting them as tax deductible two weeks after the IRS issued the list and notifications were sent to all 275,000 purged groups.
Donors still could deduct the money on their tax returns if CAIR is reinstated between now and April 15. All the purged organizations have 15 months to seek reinstatement. But it is unclear whether CAIR will file the required papers or whether their explanation about past reporting failures will be enough to satisfy the IRS.
"This listing should have little, if any, impact on donors who previously made deductible contributions to auto-revoked organizations because donations made prior to the publication of an organization's name on the list remain tax-deductible," an IRS statement said. "Going forward, however, organizations that are on the auto-revocation list that do not receive reinstatement are no longer eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions, and any income they receive may be taxable."

To regain its exempt status, CAIR must file the missing three annual reports, along with a new application for exempt status. Finally, it must explain why it failed to file the 990s for three consecutive years and explain any new procedures which will ensure future compliance.
The annual reports include financial information on donations and other sources of income, operating expenses and names and payments given to directors and key staff members.

The CAIR Foundation won exempt status in 2007 and then never filed any annual reports. That year, the Washington Times reported that CAIR's membership plummeted by 90 percent, from a high of 29,000 people in 2000 to less than 1,700 in 2006. CAIR vehemently denied the report when it was issued. But a year later, when the organization sought to have its name removed from a list of unindicted co-conspirators in a Hamas-financing prosecution, CAIR attorneys tied the diminishing support to the 2007 co-conspirator list.
"Furthermore, the amount of donations that they have been receiving has dwindled well below their monthly budget, and as their associational activity necessarily relies upon donations from the public, the government's labeling of them as an unindicted co-conspirator has chilled their associational activity."

Anecdotal information indicates the group increasingly has turned to foreign donors for operating revenue. In 2006, State Department records obtained by the Investigative Project on Terrorism show, CAIR sent delegations to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates seeking millions of dollars in support.
The delegation included CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad, spokesman Ibrahim Hooper, then-board chairman Parvez Ahmed, and current chairman Larry Shaw.
In 2009, Awad solicited Libyan Dictator Muammar Gaddafi to help underwrite a program to distribute 1 million copies of the Quran to government officials and the general public in America and to help start up a new foundation Awad was trying to launch.

When it applied for exempt status, the CAIR Foundation told the IRS that it would solicit "nationwide, although it is expected that the largest support will come from Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, where CAIR-Foundation's visibility is most prominent to potential donors."

Read more at: http://www.investigativeproject.org/2990/cair-loses-irs-status

Christians in Nepal to be allowed a cemetery

(June 22, 2011) Christians in Nepal will finally have a cemetery. The ministry of cultural affairs has formally instructed the ministry of home affairs to make it possible for Christians to start acquiring land for use as a cemetery. Chari Bahadur Gahatraj, a Christian pastor who been leading the public campaign for burial land for Christians, said on Monday that a committee had been formed to define the four corners of the burial land. He said: “The committee has to assure the local people living around this Badikhel village area, some of whom are Christians, about several things, including the fact that the graveyard will not deplete their water resources.
A 40-day protest was held in April in the capital over the issue of giving burial land to Christians. Pastor Gahatraj said land would be made available in Kathmandu and later on in other districts.
Nepal’s pro-vicar, Fr. Pius Perumana, said: “The protesting Christians managed to get international attention and so I am not surprised the government is moving ahead.” UN meeting on atomic energy urges stronger, effective nuclear safety standards

Vatican's top church official says Libyan people want end to bombings.

(June 22, 2011) The Apostolic Vicar of the Libyan capital Tripoli says the population wants an end to air raids. If NATO continues to drop bombs and cause casualties among civilians they will play into the hands of Gaddafi, who is returning to be a reference point for people, who right now feel the need for a leader.” Archbishop Giovanni Martinelli told AsiaNews. He said that "NATO despite admitting to killing civilians, continues bombing and the population is disgusted by this attitude, which solves nothing." The prelate said that on Monday (June 20) in the town of Sorman (70 km east of Tripoli) raids destroyed the home of Khouildi Hamidi, among the most faithful supporters of the regime and much loved by the people - according to local sources. The regime has claimed that the raid killed at least 19 civilians, including 8 children. So far NATO has admitted the bombing but denies any casualties. Archbishop Martinelli said that these facts distance any possibility of a diplomatic agreement before September, the deadline set by NATO for an end to military operations. The prelate said that "if the leaders of both parties do not resort to diplomatic means, the future of Libya will only grow even more uncertain." A source for AsiaNews, anonymous for security reasons, has warned of the risk of an escalation of violence between the various factions, which divide the people of Libya. "We must do everything to guide these people towards elections - said the source - otherwise there is the risk of an even bloodier war between tribes that could lead to genocide."

Christian and Lepers Beaten, Jailed in India

A Catholic and two Hindu visitors with leprosy in Karnataka state were freed on bail on Tuesday (June 14), two days after they were beaten by suspected Hindu extremists and arrested on charges of forcible conversion.

Police arrested the Catholic, retired Indian Army Cpl. Henry Baptist Robey, and two guests from Tamil Nadu state, Ram Moorthy and another identified only as Mani, from Robey’s house on Hennur-Bellary Road in the state capital of Bangalore while they and others were celebrating Pentecost on Sunday (June 12).

“I was arrested under Section 295(A) of the Indian Penal Code after a few men lodged a complaint that I was converting leprosy patients,” Robey told Compass by phone.

Violation of Section 295(A), “deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings” of others, is punishable with imprisonment of up to three years and/or a fine.

Robey said about 80 leprosy patients from neighboring Tamil Nadu state came to his house after he invited them to a special Pentecost prayer service.

“All the leprosy patients who had come for the prayer function told the police that they were Hindu, and that they were not being converted, but the police still registered a complaint against us,” Robey said. “Police should have arrested the complainants, who forcibly came into my house and searched every room and beat some of the leprosy patients as the police looked on.”

Circle Inspector Hanumantharayappa acknowledged to Compass that two of the accused were Hindus.

“They brought others from Tamil Nadu state to Bangalore not just for food [but to be converted],” the inspector said. “They [the two Hindus] were paid for that, that’s what the complainants said.”

He denied that the two arrested visitors were leprosy patients.

Asked why the leprosy patients said they were not being converted and that they had come voluntarily – and asked who were the real victims in the case – the official said he would share “each and every detail” after a preliminary investigation.

Dr. Sajan K. George of the Karnataka-based Global Council of Indian Christians, who reported the incident, said he had petitioned the National Human Rights Commission against the filing of charges against Robey.

“The tragedy of the whole thing is that, though the very leprosy patients repeatedly told the police that they visit and receive their gifts every year and that there are no conversions as had been alleged, the police did not pay any heed,” George said. “Perhaps in the days to come, giving alms from the window of your house will be construed as an attempt to convert if you are a Christian and the receiver a Hindu leprosy patient.”

Some of the visitors from Tamil Nadu were sitting on the veranda as they ate lunch, Robey said.

“I was told by some of them that cameramen had come from the media to take pictures,” Robey said. “I didn’t pay much attention. But then I heard some noise and found out that a crowd of men had gathered around my house. They alleged I had brought the leprosy patients for conversion. I explained I am just interested in taking care of them as fellow human beings and not interested in their conversion. But they were not willing to listen.”

The crowd soon swelled to over 100. While Robey could not say with certainty who the men were, some local residents later told him that they belonged to the Hindu extremist Jai Karnataka group, said to have close ties with the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Police soon arrived and took Robey and all his guests to the police post. All were released two hours later except Robey and the two Hindu lepers. That night they were taken to the Hennur police station and officially arrested.

On the morning of June 13, police took them to court, and they were sent in judicial custody to Bangalore Central Jail. Their plea for bail was initially rejected, but the next day they were granted bail.

Leprosy patients, believed to be religiously impure and physically contagious – though the disease is hardly infectious after treatment – live in isolated hamlets in India. Robey has been going to a village in Tamil Nadu state twice a year to provide them clothing, medicines, and ration.

“Some of them said they really wanted to come for the prayer, and I invited them,” he said. “What’s wrong with that?”

He said he was charged with a victimless crime.

Karnataka recorded the highest number of anti-Christian attacks among all Indian states in 2009 and 2010. Of the at least 149 anti-Christian incidents recorded nationally in 2010, 56 were from Karnataka, according to the Evangelical Fellowship of India. In 2009, Karnataka witnessed at least 48 attacks. The year 2008 was even worse, with at least 28 attacks reported in less than two months in August and September.

Attacks on Christians increased in the state after the BJP came to sole power in May 2008. Prior to that, it ruled in alliance with a local party for 20 months.

Islam cannot fool the public anymore

Islamic authorities all over are actively involved in all kinds of public relation activities to improve Islamic image which has been tarnished by “ignorant” anti-Islamic organizations all over the world. Conferences, symposiums, exhibitions are being held in many countries to include European, the far and Middle-eastern countries.

The problem with such campaigns is that deceit and lies dominate their approaches, of course, taking advantage of the ignorant public. Again the theme being advocated is that Islam is a religion of peace and mercy and replete with proofs that its origin could never be from any source except from the divine Allah! The problem with such advocacy is that people are no longer as naïve as these Islamic apologists wanted them to be. To achieve such objective they publicize these few verses in the Quran that cater to these themes and, of course, they ignore the hundreds of other verses in the Quran that advocate violence and hatred against the other. Therefore, whenever Islamic violence erupts somewhere against the non-Moslems, denial and condemnation of such violence becomes the new tactic espoused by these Islamists to prorogate that such violence is against the Quran and its teachings. No need here to quote the hundreds of verses in the Quran that advocate violence and hatred of the other as the Quran is replete with them, it would be enough to unveil the Moslem Brotherhood constitution and the Third Islamic Summit Conference in 1981 held in Saudi Arabia which clearly state that every Moslem has the duty to be engaged in Jihad until the whole world convert to Islam. In Bukhari V4B53N386 and Muslim C9B1N31, both Mohammad and the Moslems are ordered by Allah to keep fighting the non-Moslems until everyone believes in Islam and his prophet.

My question to those Islamic propagandists is how long they think they can fool the innocent public before the true teachings of the Quran is unveiled? Sure the official and sanctioned interpreters of the Quran use deceit and lies in hiding the true violent nature of the Quran. How long though, such fiasco will last when hundreds of thousands of apostates are engaged in using proper interpretations to unveil the violent nature of the Quranic teachings?

Knowing the truth, usually create a shock and indignation not only with non-Moslems, but with the average ignorant Moslem, that new apostates join the rank of anti-Islamists activists that will definitely lead to the final collapse of this evil cult at large.

US DEPT. OF JUSTICE AND SHARIA LAW

As an average person I assumed that the roles of the US Attorney General (AG) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) were established to defend our Constitution and the interests of the American people. It appears to me that President Obama’s AG, Eric Holder, and his DOJ are repeatedly protecting Islam, often at the expense of the Constitution and the American people.

Those who have little to no exposure to Islam probably do not realize that sentences under Islamic (Sharia) law are based on the Quran. By modern Western standards many of Sharia punishments are barbaric. It is not unheard of, in Islamic countries, to chop off one’s hand for stealing. Another punishment that makes no sense is finding a rape victim guilty of adultery and sentencing her to death. Then there is the one that scares me the most, the curtailing of free speech. Their blasphemy laws make speaking ill, of the Quran, Muhammad or Islam punishable by death.

According to columnist, Michelle Malkin, the US AG has, what many believe is, a conflict of interest. Holder is a senior partner with Covington & Burling, a prestigious Washington, D.C. law firm, which represents 17 Yemeni Islamic terrorists held at Gitmo.

Our US AG decided  to use special treatment and try Khalid Sheik Mohammad, the believed Islamic terrorist combatant mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attack on the New York World Trade Center   and the  Pentagon, in a New York criminal court in place of  the normally used Military Commission for combatants. This action was taken in spit of outrage across America.

In December 2010 the US Justice Department filed a lawsuit against the Berkeley, Illinois School District for failing to reasonably accommodate the religious practices of Safoorah Khan, a Muslim teacher. The school district denied the teacher’s request for a 19 day leave, mid semester, rather than between semesters. The leave was not related to her professional duties, nor was it for any of the specific purposes set forth in the Professional Negotiations Agreement between the district and the teachers’ union.

In April 2011 the U.S. Attorney General, Eric Holder, confirmed that the Justice Department headquarters intervened to quash the prosecution of several top Muslim leaders of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the International Institute of Islamic Thought, and the now-defunct SAAR. The investigations were for a wide range of activities including money laundering and supporting foreign terrorist organizations.

The Center for Security Policy’s study identifies 50 cases in 23 US state courts where Sharia Law was attempted to be used. In a number of these cases judges actually stated they based their decision on Sharia Law (contrary to our law) such as  a New Jersey Judge allowing a Muslim man to beat and rape his wife because  it was in accordance with his religion. Muslim women and children are looking to American courts for protection.

Due to the push to use Sharia law in American courts Muslims and non-Muslims are now fearful. Over the past year and one half at least 16 states have been seeking to prohibit the use of foreign laws, which includes Sharia law, in their courts. The states  of Tennessee and Louisiana have succeeded in passing a version restricting the use of any foreign laws. Mississippi and Utah have failed to pass such a law. States such as Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming are working to pass such a bill. Seventy percent of Oklahoma voters approved banning the use of foreign laws..

In April 2011 a ​DOJ Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri Richard Callahan, assured Missouri Muslims that the Obama Administration would likely step in on behalf of Sharia law should any state try to ban Sharia law.  In other words, if Missouri passes such a law the Administration or higher-ups would challenge it.

President Obama’s DOJ has taken states to court to protect the right of Muslim women to wear the hijab because New Jersey contended that while on duty as a corrections officer, women should wear religiously neutral clothing.  A similar case was recently tried by the DOJ against the Philadelphia police department. While in Tennessee they defended the expansion of a Mosque contrary to the town board’s unanimous vote against it.

In June 2009 the US DOJ sponsored a booth at the Islamic Society of North America convention underwritten by none other than the Muslim Brotherhood.

In June 2010 President Barack Hussein Obama, announced that he will allow an additional 80,000 immigrants, mostly from Islamic countries, to resettle in the United States during fiscal year 2011. In early 2011 the President announced that he is allocating an additional $20 million to emigrate people from Iraq

There appears to be significant leaning by our US Department of Justice and our administration to extend special treatment to the Islamic people as not ever seen before for other religions. The American citizen, you and me, must start making our voices heard by our representatives and the Obama Administration.

Shariah-phobia in America

Are Muslim Americans trying to impose a Taliban-style Shariah law in the USA? Seemingly, the answer is 'yes', if you are a Republican politician. The idea that America is this close to having her constitution replaced by the Muslim Scripture - the Qur'an - used to be a fringe notion in the post-9/11 era of Islamophobia that was packaged, promoted and propagated by malicious "Islamist watchdog" bloggers, neocon pundits with some think tanks and pen-pushing zealots. But nowadays that absurd idea has inched closer to the mainstream, thanks to our Republican politicians. Truly, outside Ron Paul of Texas, I don't know of any serious Republican politician who has not tried to bank on this 'menace.'

Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House, is the lead dog in this evil campaign. Last year, in his speech at the American Enterprise Institute (a neocon think tank) where he is a senior fellow, Gingrich said, "The fight against Shariah and the maddrassas and mosques which teach hatred and fanaticism is the heart of the enemy movement from which the terrorists spring forth... One of the things I am going to suggest today is a federal law which says no court anywhere in the United States under any circumstance is allowed to consider Shariah as a replacement for American law."

Gingrich is a morally decadent person with a history of corruption and adultery, and has obvious reasons for opposing the Shariah or God's Law that could find him guilty for violating some of the Ten Commandments like 'Thou shall not commit adultery' and 'thou shall not covet thy neighbor's wife' and, thus, punished in this world, let alone his wretched state in the afterworld.

But what about other Republican politicians? Are they, too, equally depraved, corrupt or morally bankrupt? Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum don't agree on everything, but they all concur that we must stop Shariah law from being imposed upon America. Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator, refers to Shariah as 'an existential threat' to the United States. During last year's Senate race in Nevada, GOP candidate Sharon Angle blithely asserted that Dearborn, as well as a small town in Texas, currently operate under Shariah law. And Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann used the occasion of Osama bin Laden's death to tie the terrorist mastermind to the word: 'It is my hope that this is the beginning of the end of Shariah-compliant terrorism.' The GOP presidential hopeful Herman Cain, the CEO of Godfather's Pizza, declared in March that he would not appoint a Muslim to a Cabinet position or judgeship because 'there is this attempt to gradually ease Shariah law and the Muslim faith into our government. It does not belong in our government.'

Most of these bigots have no clue what Shariah is, why it is a problem and where in the Qur'an to find it. God's Commandments in the Qur'an are not much different from those of the Torah (see below).

1. 'So know that there is no god but Allah.' (Qur'an 47:19) 'Thou shalt have none other gods before me.' (Exodus 20:3, Deuteronomy 5:7)

2. 'O my Lord! make this city one of peace and security: and preserve me and my sons from worshipping idols.' (Qur'an 14:35) 'Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God...' (Exodus 20:4-6, Deuteronomy 5:8-10)

3. 'And make not Allah's (name) an excuse in your oaths against doing good, or acting rightly, or making peace between persons; for Allah is One Who heareth and knoweth all things.' (Qur'an 2:224) 'Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.' (Exodus 20:7, Deuteronomy 5:11)

4. 'O ye who believe! When the call is heard for the prayer of the day of congregation, haste unto remembrance of Allah and leave your trading. That is better for you if ye did but know.' (Qur'an 62:9) 'Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.' (Exodus 20:8, Deuteronomy 5:12)
 

5. 'Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour.'  (Qur'an 17:23) 'Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.' (Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16)

6. '... whosoever killeth a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind, and whoso saveth the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind.' (Qur'an 5:32) 'Thou shalt not kill.' (Exodus 20:13, Deuteronomy 5:17)

7. 'Slay not your children, fearing a fall to poverty, We shall provide for them and for you. Lo! the slaying of them is great sin. Nor come nigh to adultery. Lo! it is an abomination and an evil way. ' (Qur'an 17:31-32) 'Neither shalt thou commit adultery.' (Exodus 20:14, Deuteronomy 5:18)

8. 'O Prophet! ... they will not associate in worship any other thing whatever with Allah, that they will not steal, that they will not commit adultery (or fornication), that they will not kill their children, that they will not utter slander, intentionally forging falsehood, and that they will not disobey thee in any just matter...' (Qur'an 60:12) 'Neither shalt thou steal.' (Exodus 20:15, Deuteronomy 5:19)

9. '...Conceal not evidence; for whoever conceals it his heart is tainted with sin. And Allah Knoweth all that ye do.' (Qur'an 2:283) 'Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.Õ' (Exodus 20:16, Deuteronomy 5:20)

10. 'And strain not thine eyes toward that which We cause some wedded pairs among them to enjoy, the flower of the life of the world, that We may try them thereby. The provision of thy Lord is better and more lasting.' (Qur'an 20:131) 'Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's.' (Exodus 20:17, Deuteronomy 5:21)

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Gingrich's call for a federal law banning Shariah has gone unheeded so far. But at the local level, nearly two dozen states have introduced or passed laws in the past two years to ban the use of Shariah in court cases. The sponsor of an Oklahoma measure banning Shariah approved by voters last fall described it as "a pre-emptive strike." Gerald Allen, the Alabama state senator who sponsored a bill banning Shariah, when asked for a definition, could not say what it was. "I don't have my file in front of me," he told reporters. "I wish I could answer you better." In Tennessee, lawmakers sought to make following Shariah a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison - until they learned that their effort would essentially make it illegal to be Muslim in their state.

Anti-Muslim, conservative think-tanker Frank Gaffney declared preposterously last year that "Americans across this country are struggling to understand the true nature of the threat we face from Shariah. They are entitled to straight talk about the extent to which it is being insinuated, promoted, and legitimated not only in mosques but by banks, academic institutions, and government agencies." Like his buddies in the hate camp, he singles out Islam as the one religion that cannot be accommodated in any of these institutions. It is based on the scare-mongering notion that once a court allows a financial institute to offer Shariah-compliant financing, it won't take too long for an imam in a mosque to be allowed to flog an adulterer and an adulteress with a hundred stripes. (Qur'an 24:2)

Other Islamophobes, like the conservative Center for Security Policy, assert that all Muslims are bound to work to establish an Islamic state in the U.S. But if this assertion is true - and the very allegation that every Muslim in America is a national security threat - should not Dearborn, the Detroit suburb, which is home to the largest community of Arabs in the U.S., have seen the Islamic theocracy movement creeping in? After all, Muslims first moved to Dearborn nearly a century ago to work in the factories of the Ford motor company! And yet after five or six generations, Dearborn's Muslims have not sought to see the city run in accordance with the Shariah.

So, why this vicious accusation labeled against Muslim Americans? Are these politicians, who cry 'Shariah', engaged in one of the oldest and dirtiest political traditions - xenophobic demagoguery? Are they throwing around a word simply because it scares some voters, much like what the Nazis, in particular, did against the Jews of Germany and what the Christians, in general, did against Jews throughout history?

These demagogues forget that American courts are governed by American law, which has long provided that parties to contracts can provide for alternative dispute resolution mechanisms (such as arbitration). As noted last year by Andrew Silow-Carroll, Editor-in-Chief of the New Jersey Jewish News, among those alternative mechanisms is the beit din, or rabbinic law court. Every day Jews go before batei din to arbitrate real estate deals, nasty divorces, and business disputes. "In fact, according to the Beth Din of America," wrote Silow-Carroll, "Jewish law does not allow a Jew to be a plaintiff in a secular court without first obtaining permission from a Jewish court. Permitting people to settle their disputes in their own religious courts is not a 'replacement' of American law, but a time-honored expression of religious freedom and accommodation." If this be the reality, why a different yardstick for Muslims when they don't have even an equivalent of the Jewish Beth Din in America?

Never mind that most Muslim countries do not enforce the Shariah laws of punishment prescribed in the Qur'an, what is so striking about Gingrich and the other Sharia-phobes is their lack of faith in the Constitution, the American legal system, and the American people themselves.As Amy Sullivan recently noted in the USA Today, the anti-communist Red Scare of the 1950s made broad use of guilt by innuendo and warnings about shadowy conspiracies. She suggested, "If GOP candidates insist they are not doing the same thing to ordinary Muslims, they can prove it by explaining what they believe sharia is and whether they're prepared to ban the consideration of all religious codes from civil arbitration. Anything less is simply fear mongering."

The far right is long on fear mongering and short on providing supportive evidence. 'Shariah' has become their code word and symbol to exploit American voters' fears and engage in Islam- and Muslim-bashing without any push-back because nobody, including most of the candidates, knows what it is. They scare ordinary Americans with their monster, and then they want to take credit for saving the people from their own creation.

It's no surprise that two candidates could not resist playing the 'Muslim card' in the recent GOP debate. Herman Cain insisted, "There have been instances in New Jersey and Oklahoma where Muslims did try to influence court decisions with Sharia Law." Cain wants to question Muslims about their commitment to the Constitution 'to make sure we have people committed to the Constitution working for this country.' But he wouldn't do the same with Christians or Jews! Newt Gingrich could not afford to be left behind, and said: "I'm in favor of saying to people, 'If you're not prepared to be loyal to the United States, you will not serve in my administration,' period." 

As a Muslim American, I would like to ask these Republican politicians: when did Bush's Global War on Terror become a war on American Muslims? Didn't GW Bush himself say on September 17, 2001: "America counts millions of Muslims amongst our citizens, and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country?" "And they need to be treated with respect. In our anger and emotion, our fellow Americans must treat each other with respect," said Bush.

In closing, let me echo what Professor John Esposito wrote in his recent Washington Post article: "To those Republicans who continue to stoke the flames of fear and bigotry to attract media attention and benefit their own political careers, it's time to call a spade a spade, a bigot a bigot and stop those who would resurrect the intolerance of the past and add Muslims to a long list of groups that has included Jews, African Americans, World War II Japanese Americans and others who have been victims of religious discrimination and racism."

If the Republican politicians don't stop this hateful campaign against Muslim Americans, no Muslim would ever vote for them, and not even their cronies that once campaigned for Bush.