Our neighbors to the North might just be on to something. The Canadian Press reported about a 12-step program which helps young Muslims avoid extremism.
The program was created by Sheik Sayyid Ahmed Amiruddin and aims to counsel young Muslims who are sympathetic to extremist ideology.
There are youth who have a tendency to act out when they hear sermons. These youth are flagged and are then counseled.
“Amiruddin intervened, “detoxing” the teen by espousing a more spiritual interpretation of Islam and emphasizing the need to realize one’s responsibility as a Muslim in Canada.”
Let’s follow this story and see if it really makes a difference. If it is successful programs like these must be adopted in America.
This is a complicated story to say the least. Rifqa Barry converts to Christianity and then runs away from home for fear of an honor killing. Running from Ohio to Florida, Rifqa claims that if she is returned home her father will kill her, as she claims it is his duty.
Honor killings happen around the world and the UN estimates that over 5,000 women a year are killed from honor killings. How do we or a judge decide that Rifqa’s father really will murder her and that this is not just some story of teen angst.
We like to believe that parents have the best interest of their children in mind. We must keep in mind that there is a chance that her parents really do love her and just want her safe at home. Who’s decision is this to make? This story is straight out confusing but at least it is raising awareness about Radical Islam. However, does Rifqa’s family fall into this category?
Let’s hear what you have to say. Whose decision should this be? Even if there is a chance of an honor killing is that enough? What impact do you think this case will have?
CNN correspondents went behind the scenes to report on a refugee camp in Islamabad, Pakistan. Over 2,000 refugees have come to the camp for one reason only, because they are Christian.
Christians are 5 percent of the population in Pakistan, and are very often faced with extreme acts of violence and too often murder. The refugees claim that they were expelled from their homes by their own government. Since the founding of the camp a few months ago, already two have died from poverty.
A few weeks ago six people were killed when Muslim demonstrates burnt down houses in a Christian enclave. Afterwards, 15 more houses were torched.
Persecution because of religion should never be tolerated. It is our responsibility to be aware of what is happening around the world. We must take action to help raise awareness and spread the message that these actions will not be tolerated.
Elections in Afghanistan are coming up, this Thursday and to say the least, political tensions are rising. A new law has emerged that states that a wife must have sex with her husband at least every four days. This means that she does not have to agree to it, as it is law. If she refuses, he simply starves her.
This is such a fundamental right that even when writing this blog, I am appalled beyond words. If a woman does not have the option to say no, this is basically saying that rape is completely acceptable.
And what is the point to the passing of this law? It is so that Afghan President Hamid Karzi can win the conservative Shia vote in this upcoming election. BBC reports, “What matters more to Karzai is the support of fundamentalists and hardliners here in Afghanistan whose support he thinks he needs in the elections.”
What does it cost to win an election? Is it the freedom of every woman in Afghanistan, including your wives, mothers and daughters? Let’s spread the word and make sure that every woman is aware of how even though in the West, women’s rights have come very far, there are still many countries that oppress women institutionally. This is not acceptable and we must take action.
Georgia man convicted of aiding terrorism groups An Atlanta jury finds Ehsanul Sadequee, 23, guilty in a trial that explored an Internet network of global militant plotting.
An Atlanta jury on Wednesday found a 23-year-old man guilty of aiding terrorist groups after a trial that explored a subculture of youthful extremists who used the Internet to plot attacks and form a loose network connecting North America, Europe and South Asia.
But this paragraph from the article really sums up the nature of the current threat we face in America.
Sadequee’s story, according to investigators, showed how the Internet has become an arena of jihad. Without ever meeting face-to-face, online militants can radicalize, hatch plots, exchange funds and help one another reach training camps and battlegrounds.
Frank Gaffney Jr. in an important piece, writes how vital it is to understand Islam’s threat to the U.S.
“John Brennan, the assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism, last week approvingly recalled a key point in the speech Barack Obama delivered in Cairo in June: “America is not and never will be at war with Islam.” Unfortunately, that statement ignores the fact that the decision as to whether the United States is at war with anybody is not entirely up to our leadership or people. The real question is: Is Islam’ at war with us?”
The nature of Sharia law is that eventually everyone must follow it. If a person says that they follow Sharia law they are in some ways supporting this idea. This is the danger that we as Americans face and this is the war we are fighting.
Officials are beginning to see the danger in this because of a law suit against the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve by Kevin Murray, a Michigan Iraq war veteran.
“Murray is challenging on constitutional separation of church-and-state grounds the practice of a U.S. government-owned company, the insurance conglomerate AIG, promoting Sharia-compliant products.”
One of the dangers of Sharia Law is that those who claim they are moderate are in reality trying to promote Sharia Law in the west. For example the organization CAIR which says they are moderate has actually been associated with people who have been involved with terrorist organizations. To learn more about this watch “The Third Jihad.”
It is crucial to understand that Sharia Law poses a threat to our western freedoms and it is critical that we prevent this.
Bloomberg recently reported a terrorist threat in Australia. One of the biggest military bases in Sydney known as, Holsworthy Barracks, was targeted by five people who may be connected to Somali Islamist militia al-Shabaab. Al-Shabaab is an Islamic organization that controls a part of Somalia. The U.S has put al-Shabaab on the terrorist list and says that they may have some connection with al-Qaeda.
“If al-Shabaab were to obtain a haven in Somalia, which could then attract al-Qaeda and other terrorist actors, it would be a threat to the United States,” Clinton said, according to a State Department transcript.
The five men are all between 22 and 33 in age and of Somali and Lebanese decent and they are set to be in court again on October 26th facing terrorism charges.
Al-Shabaab denied any connection to the plot reported the Australian Broadcasting Corp. The broadcaster however stated that Rage, who spoke on behalf of al-Shabaab, probably does not have connections with the whole group.
Even though this threat occurred far away we should be wary of the camps that could develop in Islamic countries. The documentary The Third Jihad pinpoints some terrorist breeding camps that are already in use, we must do everything possible to prevent more from developing.
Today The Detroit News reported that the rise of Radical Islam is declining and there is less support for Radical Islam in many of the Muslim and Arab countries.
“In April, Indonesian Islamist parties that had emerged four years earlier to capture 39 percent of the vote lost ground in parliamentary elections this time around, falling to below 30 percent. “You can’t pray away a bad economy, unemployment, poverty and crime,” one voter, a 45-year old shop assistant, told Agence France Press.”
“Then in May came parliamentary elections in Kuwait, where women had won the right to vote and hold office in 2005 but had never yet won office. Even though the Islamic Salafi Alliance issued a fatwa against voting for female candidates, four captured seats in parliament. Adding insult to injury for the Islamists, their representation fell from 21 seats to 11. “There is a new mindset here in Kuwait,” the al-Jazeera network reported, “and it’s definitely going to reverberate across the Gulf region.”
There is a similar decline in support from voters in other countries as well, such as Jordan, Pakistan, and Lebanon. The riots in Iran from the outcome of the presidential election also show the increase in the voters’ awareness of their own rights and their desires for their freedoms. There has also been a change in the Muslim world regarding who supports and justifies terrorist suicide bombings.
The decrease in support is definitely a positive development in the fight against Radical Islam; however we must remember that Radical groups are not disappearing. It is crucial to continue educating people about the dangers of these Radical Islam groups and put a stop to their growth.
