Many Egyptians have blamed the police and the ruling military for standing by and allowing a massive soccer riot that left 74 people dead and hundreds more injured after the home team Al Masry beat Egypt's top club Al Ahly in a league match in Port Said, Egypt. Representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood, who recently won a majority in the election claim that security forces, supporters of ousted President Hosni Mubarek, deliberately engineered the violence to cause instability in their regime.
The chief of police in Amsterdam announced that police will not arrest women wearing burquas, even if a ban is the law. Police Chief Bernhard Welten said on public television, “I do not feel that I should always be an instrument of the government who always does what is asked.”
He also said that policemen have to use their “common sense.” Calling the burqua ban an "extremely complex dilemma," Welten said he will choose instead "civil disobedience." Welten further said he sees the job of the police to "to guarantee freedom, equality and justice."
Freedom Party MP Hero Brinkman, a former policeman, was outraged, saying, “The police should be subservient to the authorities. The government and parliament make the laws. The police enforce them. We would be a banana republic if it were the other way around.”
A bill to ban garments that cover the face is due to go to the Dutch parliament in the near future as part of a coalition agreement between the conservative VVD party and the Christian Democrats. The coalition is a minority government supported by the Freedom Party.
Brinkman also said that regional police chiefs had abused the room they have to use their own discretion for years. He predicted this will no longer happen under the current government. The Dutch police force is due to be reorganized, with the regional police corps merging into a national force. This means that the police will have just one chief.
The recent trial of the honor killing trial in Canada has garnered an abundance of media attention. In that trial a wealthy businessman, Mohammad Shafia, 58, a Muslim native of Afghanistan, and his second wife, Tooba Yahya, 42, were convicted of killing their three daughters (two shown, left) and the girls’ aunt (who was also Shafia’s first wife and sister to his second wife). Their 20-year old son Hamed was also found guilty of first-degree murder in the case as well.
Media coverage of the trail and its verdict were extensive but noticeably missing in most mainstream media coverage (NBC, AP, CNN) was any mention that the Shafia family was Muslim and that such killings are sanctioned by Sharia law.
For example, the Associated Press (AP) reported that the killings were the result of a “culture clash” involving a “strict religious family.”
NBC’s Anchor Brian Williams reports: “A verdict has been reached in a murder case that's gotten a lot of attention because it involved so-called honor killings of family members by family members. In this case an Afghan family living in Canada. It is a culture clash getting a lot of attention to our north. NBC's Kevin Tibbles has the story.”
Reporter Keven Tibbles: “Three teenage sisters murdered because of how they wanted to live their lives. Dress like westerners, use the internet, meet boys. Also killed, their father's first wife, by a strict religious family that felt it had been disgraced.”
In fact, the only time religion is mentioned in the report is to tell us that one of the girls had a Christian boyfriend.
The CNN reporter, on the other hand, sounded shocked that the jury convicted the three and that it took only 15 hours to deliver its first-degree murder charge. It is clear from her tone that she questioned the validity of the jury’s judgment.
“I mean … that’s not a lot of time … There were 12 counts. That means that they must have spent just slightly over an hour on each count. What does that tell you? This means that the prosecution basically did make their case as far as this jury is concerned.”
She wondered why they didn’t consider the lesser charge of second-degree murder, since the three convicted family members held to their story throughout the trial that they were all innocent and didn’t point the finger at each other. She sounded amazed that the jury believed that two biological parents would murder their own children. She called it “a stark verdict. “
Never mind that the prosecutor had rock-solid evidence to the contrary, including wiretapped conversations of the father. The evidence never made it to CNN’s report nor did the mention of which faith allows honor killings.
As to the girls brother, also convicted of first-degree murder, the CNN reported mused that, since he was “just 21-years old,” an appeal will probably made on these “extenuating circumstances.”
“It’s not exactly a sign of strength when a dictator is found trying to import chemical weapons ingredients and has to rely upon a foreign terrorist group to fight a small group of protesters.
“A senior official in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards says that Hezbollah sprung into action to save an Iranian base in Syria from being overrun by protesters and presumably, the rebel forces called the Free Syria Army. The base is located in Madaya in Zabadani, which fell to the rebels last week. The official claimed that Iran and Syria is working with Russia and China to “deter” foreign powers from intervening and that Russia has sent ships including aircraft carriers to protect the country.
“A Lebanese opposition figure claims that Assad even relies upon Hezbollah for personal security and the staging of pro-regime rallies. He said that over 200 cars and one bus arrived in Syria from Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon to take part in a rally in Damascus. When Assad appeared in Umayyad Square, Hariri says, he was guarded by Hezbollah terrorists. He also noted that Assad only appeared for three minutes, indicating it was a staged event.
“In a worrisome sign that Assad may be preparing to use chemical weapons, it has come out in the Turkish press that four Iranian trucks intercepted on their way to Syria two weeks ago contained WMD-related materials. One truck had components for ballistic missiles and the other three had 66 tons of sodium sulfate, used in the production of chemical weapons.”
Meanwhile, according to CNN reports, heavy clashes continue to take place in the suburbs of Damsacus, leaving at least 98 killed and 50 wounded. The numbers were reported by opposition groups, since the government limits access to journalists in these areas. All Arab League observer missions have also been suspended as all observers have been redeployed to Damascus.
In addition, The Jerusalem Post reports that Syrian security forces attempted to smuggle Syrian President Bashar Assad's wife, children, mother and cousin out of the country through a convoy of official vehicles. The report comes from sources in the Syrian opposition, picked up by the Egyptian daily newspaper Al-Masry-Al-Youm. The sources said that the convoy was intercepted by brigades of army defectors before it was able to reach the airport in Damascus.
According to the source, there was a heavy exchange of fire between the security forces and the Free Syrian Army forces. The family was prevented from escaping and returned to the presidential palace.
Ryan Mauro is a frequent analyst on FOX News Channel and is a national security writer for Family Security Matters. He is also a strategic analyst with Wikistrat, a consultant to government agencies and an adjunct professor.
Six prominent U.S. universities have now established a permanent relationship to the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies (QFIS) in Qatar:
Texas A&M University at Qatar
Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar
Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar
Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar
Northwestern University in Qatar
QFIS’s website identifies these six institutions as “branch campuses of eight strategically selected elite international universities, delivering world-class programs chosen to ensure Qatar is equipped with essential skills and specialisms.”
Four of the above universities were among the six U.S. universities that helped organize the launch ceremony for the newest of the QFIS research centers to be headed by Tariq Ramadan, a critically important leader of the Global Muslim Brotherhood, and co-directed by a close associate of Youssef Qaradawi.
Qaradawi, (left), known as a virulent anti-Semite, is often referred to as the most important leader of the global Muslim Brotherhood, an acknowledgement of his role as the de facto spiritual leader of the movement. The launch ceremony also included representatives of two organizations headed by Qaradawi and an organization tied to the global Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas fundraising and support for Al Qaeda. Georgetown University academic and Global Muslim Brotherhood supporter John Esposito was reportedly among the event speakers as well as Qaradawi himself.
The formation of the center represents a highly significant coming together of Qaradawi and Ramadan, the two most important leaders of the Global Muslim Brotherhood. In 2004, Qaradawi turned down the offer to lead the Egyptian Brotherhood after the death of its Supreme Guide.
Based in Qatar, Qaradawi has reportedly amassed substantial wealth through his role as Sharia adviser to many important Islamic banks and funds. He is also considered to be the “spiritual guide” for Hamas and is known for his extremist statements. Qaradawi’s fatwas in support of suicide bombings against Israeli citizens were instrumental in the development of the phenomenon.
The fact that major U.S. universities feel comfortable with associating themselves so closely with Qaradawi and his representatives speaks volumes as to how rapidly the Global Muslim Brotherhood is becoming legitimized as a mainstream political force.
Editor's Update: Hamas leader, Khaled Maashal, (left), recently met with King Abdullah II for the fist time in 13 years.The meeting was arranged by the crown prince of Qatar to help Hamas find a new home, according to The Boston Globe. Abdullah had kicked Maashal and his cronies out of Jordan 1999 after Maashal broke a deal he had with Abdullah to restrict his activities to politics. Maashal moved his command center to Syria, but with the brutal crackdown on protestors by the Syrian government, including Palestinians, Maashal is looking to move to a more hospitable neighborhood from which to launch his terror attacks
Although the European Union has been getting a lot of press of late for standing up to Iran by imposing to an “unprecedented” set of sanctions against Iran – banning importation of Iranian oil to its member states while also imposing currency and commodity sanctions on Iran’s central bank – a closer look at the sanctions show they lack real teeth.
The ban is not scheduled to take effect until July 1, which gives EU nations to replace the oil imported from Iran and the Iranians plenty of time to find other buyers for their oil. In addition, Europe has already backtracked from the sanctions, releasing a statement saying that if Iran would be willing to negotiate its nuclear policy, the sanctions will be lifted.
Not a chance. For their part, the official Fars News Agency quoted one Iranian official who suggested that Tehran should halt sales to Europe now “so that the price of oil soars and the Europeans … have trouble.”
(The Iranians have also once again threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, but most analysts see that as a bluff since Iran would have to stand up to the U.S. Navy, whose aircraft carrier was recently allowed into the Strait without protest from Iran.)
As Front Page Magazine reports, “Thus, another round of sanctions against Iran, designed to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table in order to convince the regime to halt its uranium enrichment program, continues to reveal the paralysis of the world community in the face of a determined, radical, terrorist state that is undeterred in its drive to possess the ultimate guarantee against mocking the prophet.”
The magazine also reports that there have been 4 rounds of sanctions against Iran passed by the United Nations, each severely ineffective. In December 2006, the Security Council banned the sale of nuclear related materials and froze the assets of some regime officials. In March 2007, the UN expanded the asset freeze and slapped an arms embargo on Iran. In March of 2008, the asset freeze was extended again, and member states were authorized to monitor ships and planes headed for Iran as well as individuals involved in the nuclear program.
The last round of international sanctions passed in June of 2010, froze the funds of individuals and businesses connected to the Revolutionary Guards and went after the financial sector of the Iranian economy.
In addition to international sanctions, about a dozen individual states — including the US, the EU, Japan, and Australia — have added their own national sanctions on everything from penalizing companies that do business with Iran to preventing the sale of oil and gas equipment to replace Tehran’s aging oil infrastructure.
Yet during the time that the sanctions have been in place, the Iranians have installed 5,000 working centrifuges at their main enrichment facility in Nantanz that is busy enriching hundreds of pounds of uranium; completed construction of the reactor at Bushehr and made it operational; constructed at least one and probably more smaller enrichment facilities such as the one built into a mountain outside of Qom; and, according to the nuclear watchdog agency, the IAEA, are rapidly developing the technical capability to marry a nuclear bomb to their missiles.
Iran bowed out of the current round in what is quickly becoming the "War of Threats" between Iran and America, with Iran threatening to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz and American threatening to impose economic sanctions to force Iran to abandon its nuclear enrichment program.
After an American aircraft carrier left the Gulf on a scheduled rotation, Iranian army chief Abullah Salehi warned America it would take action if the carrier returned. "I recommend and emphasize to the American carrier not to return to the Persian Gulf ... We are not in the habit of warning more than once," he was quoted as saying.
Escorted by a number of warships, the USS Abraham Lincoln completed its entry into the Strait as scheduled and without incident. The Lincoln was the first aircraft carrier to enter the Gulf since December.
Post facto, Iran managed to reframe the entry of the Lincoln, saying the aircraft carrier's entrance into the Gulf was a routine matter that didn't change the status quo. "U.S. warships and military forces have been in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East region for many years and their decision in relation to the
dispatch of a new warship is not a new issue and it should be interpreted as part of their permanent presence," Revolutionary Guards Corps Deputy Commander Hossein Salami said in a statement
to the official Iranian news agency.
A member of Syria's parliament who defected to Egypt by convincing his
superiors that he was leaving on a business trip says Syrian President
Bashar Assad is receiving help from its radical Islamist buddies to
combat the country's popular uprising.
Imad Ghalioun is quoted as saying, "Iran is supporting the regime with
all its might [because] sustaining the Syrian regime is protecting
Iran itself and it's interests.
However, he also added that, "Iran
knows the Syrian regime is weakening and is using it as a bargaining
chip for negotiations with the West."
Ghalioun also charged that the Lebanese terrorist organization,
Hizbollah, is providing logistical support and fighters to Assad's
forces.
Iran and Hizbollah have both denied providing support to Assad, but
just last week a number if Iranian trucks containing weapons were
intercepted by Turkey.
Even though the rebellion has devastated the Syrian economy, Ghalioun
said that the coffers are full for the military who has an "open
budget" to brutally squelch the protesters. Syrian military forces are
active on the streets; "ghost hit men," pro-government snipers, provide
support from hidden positions.
Ghalioun said that many more Syrian officials also want to defect, but
The day after Ghalioun and his family left Syria, travel by government
officials was banned.
With final results expected in this week, radical Islamists are poised
to take control of Egypt's next parliment, paving the way for Sharia
law to be mandated throught Egypt. The elections were the first to take
place since the ouster of former Egptian President Hosni Mubarek.
The Muslim Brotherhood's party, ironically known as the "Freedom and
Justice Party," is expected to control at least half the seats, and an
agreement has already been made with the runners-up that they will
control the speaker of the Parliament as well.
The Muslim Brotherhood is a military, religious and social organization
whose purpose is to impose Sharia law over the entire world. The
Brotherhood launched modern-day terrorism and was the forerunner to al
Quaeda. It was founded in 1928 by Islamist scholar and school teacher
Hassan al Banna, a devout follower of Adolf Hilter. Hamas considers
itself the Palestinian branch of the Brotherhood.
The Brotherhood's majority will be solidified by the ultraconservative
Salafist Nour party.
One of the first tasks slated for Egypt's lower house of parliment, the
People's Assembly, will be to select writers for a constitution for the
country. Current military rulers will try to influence the selection
committee, but political party leaders plan to block the military in
this effort.
Documenting the Islamic ideology behind Iran’s leaders, Iranium explores the scenarios we may face if this radical regime comes to possess the world’s most powerful weapons.
The chief of police in Amsterdam announced that police will not arrest women wearing burquas, even if a ban is the law. Police Chief Bernhard Welten said on public television, “I do not feel that I should always be an instrument of the government who always does what is asked.”
The recent trial of the honor killing trial in Canada has garnered an abundance of media attention. In that trial a wealthy businessman, Mohammad Shafia, 58, a Muslim native of Afghanistan, and his second wife, Tooba Yahya, 42, were convicted of killing their three daughters (two shown, left) and the girls’ aunt (who was also Shafia’s first wife and sister to his second wife). Their 20-year old son Hamed was also found guilty of first-degree murder in the case as well.
Qaradawi, (left), known as a virulent 
Editor's Update: Hamas leader, Khaled Maashal, (left), recently met with King Abdullah II for the fist time in 13 years.The meeting was arranged by the crown prince of Qatar to help Hamas find a new home, according to 
