IRIS Blog

Spot-on analysis from Arab-American Joseph Farah:

Lately, we've heard the root cause of terrorism is alienation, poverty, or the West's support for Israel. What do I think is the root cause of terrorism? It works. Those using terrorism do it because it achieves their objectives.

The more Israel has acceded to the demands of terrorists, the more terrorism has increased. The more Israel has unilaterally retreated from lands won in hard-fought combat, the more emboldened its attackers have become. The more accommodating Israel is with the terrorists, the higher become the demands on the Jewish state by international busybodies who blame their own problems with terrorists on Israel.

There are only two ways to stop the terrorism: Surrender and live under the domination of Islam, or soundly defeat the Islamic jihad. You can't talk to it. You can't buy it off. You can't understand it. You can't win it over with compassion. You can't reason with it. You can't negotiate with it. You can't bargain with it. You can't appease it away. You can't wish it away.

Israel's leaders have essentially chosen the surrender option.

Two years ago, I warned that the impending election of Kadima would exacerbate Israel's second-largest problem--the nefarious control of the economy by the small group of "branja" families. They exploit their oligopolistic position to make rules to further consolidate their control.

Upon their election, I predicted:

When Kadima says "trust us" and doesn't reveal any policies, it means they are the chosen favorites of the 5 Families who will do their bidding. Israel is heading for long-term disaster by placing these foxes, along with Peretz's Labor, in the henhouse rules' committee.

Now it appears that 86% of Israelis agree that the super-wealthy are gaining control of the government. Although this poll may appear to express attitudes of simple class warfare (which I generally oppose), I believe it represents some understanding of the "brancha" problem. Unfortunately, the 5 Families essentially control Israel's news media so it is difficult for the public to identify the genuine culprit.

The Bush Middle East strategy hinges on its support for Mahmoud Abbas as a closet moderate, despite his calls for the shooting of Israelis and frequent calls by his Fatah organization to attack Americans. Today brings news that the al-Aksa Martyrs' Brigades, a Fatah group, has kidnapped three more Westerners:

Witnesses said the three people were eating in a restaurant when they were captured. They said shots were fired in the air as the men, with their heads covered, were led away by gunmen through the winding alleyways of Nablus' Old City.

As usual, there is no chance that anyone will be punished.

Smokescreen: Hizbullah Inside America
Must-see TV

President Katsav to be Indicted for Rape

Iraqi Insurgents Plotted U.S. Attack

Who Gave Us Islamist Iran? Jimmy Carter

Norway: Israeli Imports Up After Socialist Boycott

Palestinians Claiming to be Al-Qaeda Blow Up Gaza Resort

Caroline Glick continues to highlight the frightening Leftist strategy of Israel's leaders. Her radical plan? Advance Israel's national interests:

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to Israel this week reinforced this untenable situation. In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, US Ambassador Richard Jones explained that during her visit, Rice "picked up" Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni's plan to hold "discussions" with Fatah terror group commander and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas about the establishment of a Palestinian state in spite of the fact that the PA is ruled today by the Hamas terror group.

According to Jones, Livni convinced Rice that it is necessary to provide a "political horizon" to convince the Palestinians to replace Hamas with Fatah. After the Palestinians overthrow Hamas, he explained, it will be possible to implement the agreement and handover Judea and Samaria to Fatah (and Hamas).

That is, the Israeli government is pushing a national strategy that is based on a total lie. While Abbas plans his visit this weekend with Hamas terror master Khaled Mashaal in Syria in the hopes of facilitating the formation of an Iranian-Syrian sponsored Fatah-Hamas unity government, the Israeli government wishes to "strengthen" him.

A revitalized IDF will be unable to secure Israel under these conditions. As long as the guiding strategic principle dictating Israel's policies is that Israel must establish a Palestinian state, and to that end, the policy debate revolves around issues such as whether protecting the residents of Sderot from rocket attacks will strengthen or weaken Abbas, the IDF will be incapable of defending Israel regardless of who its leaders are.

SINCE THE inauguration of the 1993 Oslo peace process, Israel's national debate has largely ignored the only question that should be guiding it: How are we to advance Israel's national interests? Rather, since 1993, our national debate has been anchored around the question of how best to establish a Palestinian state. This question, rooted in the false Arab narrative which consciously rejects the morality of the Zionist revolution, has brought us to a position where the IDF is cognitively barred from rationally approaching Israel's security challenges.

Read the whole thing.

It turns out that the racist jihadi imam who starred in the shocking must-see UK mosque documentary preached in Peoria until 2001. Consider that in both America and the UK, there is not a single Muslim who we know of on record as having complained about Abu Usamah's genocidal rantings.

A New Jersey-born Muslim cleric with links to a suspected Al Qaeda operative who surfaced at a college not far from the cleric's Peoria, Ill., mosque the day before the Sept. 11 attacks has found a new home.

The imam now is spewing his message of hate to a growing group of followers at a mosque in Birmingham, England.

His target: the United States, the United Kingdom, Christians and Jews.

Abu Usamah at-Thahabi, who preached at the Islamic Center of Peoria in 2001, is the subject of a British news documentary that revealed Monday how he regularly exhorts worshippers at the Green Lane Masjid, or mosque, in Birmingham to hate Westerners, whom he calls "pathological liars" and "kuffar," a derogatory term for non-Muslims.

Abu Usamah also calls for the public crucifixion of all "kuffar" and says they should be "left there to bleed to death for three days."

Almost one year ago, I correctly predicted that Olmert's announced strategy of financially isolating the Palestinian Authority after the Hamas landslide victory was a lie. Not only that, but Israel itself would continue to pay Hamas, after a delay while Israeli public opinion got over the shock of Hamas' victory. Hamas, as everyone knows, is committed to the genocide of Jews and all infidels.

I believe I was the only commentator who forecasted this:

Money for the Palestinian Authority is still being placed in escrow, meaning that the funds are being paid by Israel, not available to Israel in the future, and are legally intended for use by the Palestinian Authority. If a company pays money into a retirement fund for a worker for access at a future time, that is still considered an employee asset. There are many scenarios in which the Palestinians may access the funds. Here are some: "humanitarian" purposes, Israeli court order, international court order, American pressure and "carrots" for various insincere public expressions in English.

The details are exactly as predicted:

Israel to Release Frozen Tax Funds to PA

....The money, according to the official, is meant to go for "humanitarian purposes"

Another reason listed is that this will "strengthen Abbas against Hamas." This despite the fact that only last week Abbas called for Palestinians to shoot Israelis.

Why do I point out my correct predictions? Because I am trying to build credibility for my next forecast: massive, simultaneous nuclear strikes on the West unlike we wake up and defend ourselves against the jihad. The doctrine of mutually assured destruction does not work against those who welcome death.

God forbid.

Jimmy Carter Interceded for Nazi Murderer

Report: Iran Ready to Begin Installing 3,000 Centrifuges
Mutually Assured Destruction doesn't work with those who aren't afraid to die

Peretz Accuses Olmert of Racism
Charges of racism are the last refuge for Leftist scoundrels

Sneh: Peace Can be Achieved in 2 Years
Good luck with that, Minister Chelm

Dan Halutz Resigns as IDF Chief of Staff
Surprise move restores some honor to Israel. One down, two to go.

'Now Peretz and Olmert Must Go'

Olmert Faces Criminal Probe Over Bank Deal

16 Cases PM Olmert Intervened on Behalf of Businessmen against Proper Procedures
Bureaucracy breeds corruption, particularly when the individuals in question are so disposed

Former Carter Center Member: Jimmy Condones Palestinian Terrorism
Democrats often revert to radical Leftism when they are no longer up for election (See also: Ramsey Clark and Al Gore)

Amazing Pictures that Show Triplets Bonding--In the Womb

Passenger Awarded $400,000 In Racial Profiling Case
The road to the Islamist conquest of the West is paved with political correctness

One of the alleged July 21 bombers fled London after the attempted attacks disguised as a woman wearing a burka, their trial heard.

Yassin Omar was captured on CCTV at Golders Green coach station in north London and at Birmingham coach station disguised in the traditional Muslim women's dress.

He was picked up on the CCTV just a day after the attempted attacks, Woolwich Crown Court was told.

Prosecuting counsel Nigel Sweeney said: "CCTV shows him and his fiancee at Golders Green coach station and him at Birmingham coach station that evening disguised in the burka"....

Afterwards, he tried to convey the impression of a man "carrying on his life as normal", Mr Sweeney said. On July 26 he went to the police but "not to tell the truth", he alleged.

Instead, during the course of interviews lasting a number of days, he "lied on an epic scale" to keep up the pretence that he only happened to know two of the defendants, Mr Sweeney told the jury. Eventually, the true scale of his involvement was revealed by the "weight of evidence" against him, he said.

This is the seventh story I have noted about Islamists using the Muslim veil as a weapon. It exploits the West's politically correct sensibilities regarding multiculturalism and women. Of course, Islamists constantly adjust their tactics to sabotage their hosts, while Western societies respond slowly, if ever.

Banning the veil could save countless lives in this war. Will we ever consider it? Perhaps someday. But by that time, Islamist tactics will have changed many times over.

How do we convince the politically uninterested of the threat of the jihad? Show them this absoute must-see TV. It is secretly filmed in UK mosques, but prominently features an American convert to Islam.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Note the viciousness with which the term kuffar is used (kuffar means you). Pay attention to the repeated emphasis of jihad as the highest expression of Islam. Also note the laughter during the encouragement to sabotage the infidel at every oportunity while "staying out of trouble." There is no way to defend against fifth-column sabateurs who wait for opportunity to strike. The destruction of Europe is probably only a matter of time now, but at least America still has a chance to wake up and defend itself. Here are excerpts from the transcript:

A British television documentary, 'Dispatches: Undercover Mosque,' broadcast on Sunday evening on the UK's Channel 4 has uncovered hate-filled speeches and rhetoric delivered in a number of British mosques, and directed against 'unbelievers,' Jews, Christians, and gays, among others, as well as religious justifications of marriages between prepubescent girls and adult men.

Some of the mosques targeted by the program were previously considered to be centers of moderate Islam in Britain. One mosque featured in the video was associated with a Muslim leader working with the British government to strengthen ties between the Muslim and non-Muslim communities.

The program's female narrator warned of "an ideology of intolerance and bigotry spreading throughout Britain, with its roots in Saudi Arabia," as images of the mosques and worshippers flashed across the screen.

One preacher was seen saying: "We Muslims have been ordered to do brainwashing."

The main English-language speaker of a Birmingham mosque, Abu Usama, who is an American convert to Islam, spread hatred of Christian and Jews in the footage.

"It has come to pass that the Christians and the Jews, America , France, the UK and Germany, they have come against the religion of al-Islam," Usama said, adding: "Why give up your religion to please someone who is an enemy to you?"

In the film, British Muslims at a mosque were told that that Islam will eventually gain "the uppermost strength" and form an Islamic state. They were instructed to "form a state within a state, until we take over."

In the Islamic state, Abu Usama said if a Muslim tried to leave Islam, he would be killed. "If the imam wants to crucify him he should crucify him. The person is put up on the wood and he's left there to bleed to death for three days," he said.

'Marrying prepubescent girls Okay'

"The Islamic state he predicts will have a single, life-time ruler with no opposition party or elections," explains the narrator.

A video purchased at a bookshop at the largest mosque in London, the Regents Park mosque, contained footage of a young, Saudi-trained Muslim cleric, Sheikh Faiz, who was seen saying: "Kafir (infidel)," as he drew an imaginary line on his forehead. "The worst word that can ever be written. A sign of infidelity. Disbelief. Filth. The sign of dirt." The preacher calls Jews "pigs," and said they would be "killed when the end of the world comes."

"This creature will say, oh Muslim, behind me is the Jew, come and kill him," the preacher shouts, before carrying out an impersonation of a pig sound, saying, "all of them," to the laughter of the audience.

The video showed a leading Muslim figure, who took part in a government taskforce to tackle extremism, comfortably taking part in a religious conference at the Birmingham mosque, in which discrimination against homosexuals was encouraged, as well as violence against girls who refused to wear the hijab.

"Allah has created the woman deficient," said the Birmingham mosque speaker. "Her intellect is incomplete, deficient. She may be suffering from hormones that will make her emotional. It takes two witnesses of a woman to equal the one witness of the man," he added.

A Saudi video on sale at one of the mosques showed a preacher saying: "Men are in charge of women. Wherever he goes, she should follow him. She shouldn't be allowed to leave the house without his permission."

Another sheikh on video says 10-year-old girls should be hit if they do not put on the hijab covering.

'The summit of Islam is jihad'

One speaker at a Birmingham mosque, Dr. Billal Phillips, said that the marriage of Islam's prophet, Muhammad to a nine year-old girl, Aisha, meant that contrary to modern laws, such marriages were acceptable.

"The prophet Muhammad practically outlined the rules regarding marriage prior to puberty. With his practice, he clarified what is permissible, and that is why we shouldn't have any issues about an older man marrying a younger woman," he said. "It is looked down upon the society today, but we know that the prophet Muhammad practiced it. It wasn't abuse or exploitation, it was marriage," he added.

"Do you practice homosexuality with men? Take that homosexual man and throw him off the mountain," declared Abu Usama. He later was heard calling for Allah "to bring about the means and the ways" to "? go out and perform the jihad."

"The peak, the pinnacle, the crest, the highest point, the pivot, the summit of Islam is jihad," said Sheikh Faiz, on a DVD sold at the mosque in Birmingham.

A plot to kill innocent commuters in a series of suicide bombings two weeks after the July 7, 2005, bombings failed at the last moment because of problems with the explosive mixture and simple "good fortune," a London court heard Monday.

Six alleged Muslim extremists plotted to bring carnage to the London transport system with home-made chemical bombs loaded with shrapnel, a jury at Woolwich Crown Court in southeast London was told.

Four of the men tried to detonate their bombs - three on Tube trains and one on a bus. However, the bombs failed to go off.

The plot was hatched before the July 7 attacks and was not a "copy cat" attack, but was, rather, a long-planned operation.

Israel is 5-10 years ahead of Europe in terms of facing the brunt of Muslim terror. And America is 5-10 years behind Europe.

The lesson? Israel used to have many stories about miracles and luck that scuttled terror attacks, but jihadis are like the Terminator, as described by Kyle Reese:

Listen! And understand! That Terminator is out there. It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear. And it absolutely will not stop...EVER...until you are dead.

Here is an interesting look at the Arab funding of Jimmy Carter. The bin Laden family has been frequently reported as having disowned Osama, but this is not believable. Interestingly, Michael Moore charged that Bush was in league with the bin Laden family.

Did Jimmy Carter do it for the money? That's the question making the rounds about Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, an anti-Israeli screed recently written by the ex-president whose Carter Center has accepted millions in Arab funding....

In recent weeks, a number of articles have noted that Carter's anti-Israeli views coincide with those of some of the center's prime financial backers, including the government of Saudi Arabia and the foundation of Saudi prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, whose offer of $10 million to New York City just after Sept. 11 was rejected by then-mayor Rudy Giuliani because it came wrapped in the suggestion that America rethink its support of Israel. Other big donors listed in the Carter Center's annual reports include the Sultanate of Oman and the sultan himself; the government of the United Arab Emirates; and a brother of Osama bin Laden, Bakr BinLadin, 'for the Saudi BinLadin Group.'

(The entire article requires subscription.)

This is the best news I have heard in a very long time, as well as a welcome change of tone for long-suffering IRIS readers.

The evidence is mounting that the US and UK were involved in the stunning victory of Ethiopia over the Islamists who had taken over Somalia. Among the rules the jihadis had propagated was beheading for those who failed to pray five times per day.

SAS Hunts Fleeing Al-Qaeda Africans

An SAS team is hunting down al-Qaeda terror suspects as they try to flee Somalia, trapped between invading Ethiopian troops - assisted by U.S. special forces and American mercenaries - and the Kenyan army and SAS troops acting as "training advisers," but who have been leading operations along the border, providing a "screen" to trap terrorists.

Three key suspects, believed to be responsible for the bombing of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and an attack on an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa, were still on the run Saturday.

The dramatic victory by Ethiopian troops was the culmination of months of preparation inside and outside Somalia by American and British special forces, and U.S.-hired mercenaries.

According to a CIA source, American intelligence and military have been bankrolling the Ethiopians since the start of last year, as well as providing them with satellite surveillance, technical, military and logistical support.

Kenyan counter-terrorism police said the wives and three children of two of the al-Qaeda main suspects were caught as they attempted to cross into Kenya.

Why is this such terrific news? Because Islamists are now actively attempting to take over the world under the rule of a single Muslim Caliph. The way to stop it is simply by opposing it on every front. This is true for the obvious reason, i.e. that human nature is such that victories embolden every expansionist movement. The second reason is almost unknown. Muslims have a command from Muhammed not to fight when the enemy is stronger. The major debate in the Muslim world is whether the West is a paper tiger given its paralysis in actually using its might. All the West needs to do to end this argument is to take off the gloves. And that is apparently what Bush and Blair have finally begun to do in Somalia.

Of course it is not knowable whether this policy will be continued by Republicans, although it is almost certain that Democrats will not.

As I have demonstrated on a number of occasions, the peacefulness of Islam is for non-Muslim audiences only. Undercover broadcasts of imams, including this documentary to be screened in the UK tonight, have regularly revealed the truth: Islamism is mainstream in Western mosques. (Here is one of many previous examples.)

Of course, the so-called moderates, who should be thrilled by the aid to their alleged anti-extremist campaign, are crying foul, claiming that the footage is "taken out of context":

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) is accusing Channel Four commercial channel of attempting to foment division and sectarianism among Britain?s 1.8 million Muslim community.

A documentary, being screened Monday, goes undercover at mosques to find what it in its advance publicity are ?preachers condemning integration into British society, condemning democracy and praising the Taliban for killing British soldiers.?

MCB said the Dispatches programme ?mischievously tried to prove that key Muslim institutions are teaching the exact opposite to Islam commanding Muslims to deal positively and peacefully with those around us.?

The producers were ?resorting to the dishonest tactic of selectively quoting from some recorded speeches for the purpose of misrepresentation,? MCB secretary general Abdul Bari said.

?Their aim is to attach guilt by association. This continuing demonisation of British Muslims and the risible attempt at promoting sectarianism among British Muslims will be firmly rejected,? Bari said.

Via: Little Green Footballs