Tag Archives: Muslim

Another Morning Attack

Posted on by
Reply

Among men, it seems, historically at any rate, the processes of coordination and disintegration follow each other with great regularity, and the index of the coordination is the measure of the disintegration which follows. There is no mob like a group of well-drilled soldiers when they have thrown off their discipline. And there is no lostness like that which comes to a man when a perfect and certain pattern has dissolved about him. There is no hater like one who has greatly loved.
–John Steinbeck

Burma and 969, Buddhist Versus Muslim

Posted on by
4

At the edges of Southeast Asia sit countries with an Islamic minority. And each of them deal with this particular group in different ways. Thailand and the Philippines handle it one way. And Burma’s (Myanmar’s) Buddhist leaders have handled it in another fashion:

Brightly-coloured posters and stickers bearing the number “969″ are popping up in cities all over Burma. These look innocuous enough at first glance. However, “969” actually denotes an anti-Islam campaign led by hardliner Buddhist monks. Burmese Muslims say it has stirred up hatred and paranoia, resulting in a string of bloody anti-Muslim riots across the country over the past weeks.

Burma 969 campaign, led by Wirathu, has paired Buddhist versus Muslim

Burma 969 campaign, led by Wirathu, has paired Buddhist, 969, versus Muslim, 786.

The three digits ‘969’ originally refer to the Buddha’s “three jewels” , but they are now being used as a brand name for a nationalist, anti-Muslim campaign led by a prominent monk based in Mandalay. Wirathu, who likes to refer to himself as the “Burmese Bin Laden”, was jailed in 2003 for inciting riots against Muslims, but was released as part of a general amnesty in 2012. Since then, he’s spearheaded the fast-growing ‘969’ movement, making numerous speeches calling on Buddhists to “buy 969” and boycott Muslim-owned stores.

As is usual with such articles, there are gems in the comments:

-Intolerance in any shape or form should not be tolerated. But bear in mind what is provoking this anger: Many Muslims support a movement to settle in and control the southern portions of Southeast Asian countries. Perhaps the folks in Myanmar do not want bombings, death and destruction that radical Muslims have inflicted on the Thais and the Filipinos.

-Moderate Muslims have revealed themselves as a feckless lot. By refusing to criticise and isolate radical Muslims, moderate Muslims are seen as giving their tacit approval to Islamic terrorists. It is only right that cowardly moderate Muslims incur the wrath of their neighbours.

-As I understand it, the situation originated with Muslim destruction of Buddhist Temples and archeology sites. Then flared when a Muslim shop owner cheated a Buddhist customer, and laughed at the couple when the Muslims broke an item the Buddhists brought in. I’m in sympathy with the Buddhists. Enough is enough.

-Islam. Live by the sword, die by the sword. The Umma won’t happen.

There goes that stereotype of Buddhists. . .

Jihad as a Business

Posted on by

Richard Nielsen argues that the Jihadi Radicalization of Muslim Clerics is actually a savvy career move. One clerical student told Rich: That’s how you get appointed to teach, how you get a position in the Dar al-Ifta [Egyptian Fatwa Ministry], which gets you a nice car.

Jihad as career strategy

Climbing the ladder to success, jihad style.
In other jihadi news, Ziya T was arrested in Turkey for the murder of Sarai Sierra.

The Camouflage of an Enemy

Posted on by

What they had both thought was safety proved to have been the camouflage of an enemy who works in terms of friendship, trust and pity.
–Graham Greene

Ali Damache and the Hustle

Posted on by

Let’s talk Hustle. You know that disco boogie wonderland dance. This one:

Ali Damache

Ali Damache?

Do you think Ali Damache was going for that look when he was busted out of jail for threatening Majed Moughni, a Muslim American who condemned undie-bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab?

Ali Damache threatens Majed Moughni

Ali Damache

Don’t worry, our boy Ali is heading to Ireland to answer to the wee folks about his jihadic activity. With American jihadas Colleen LaRose and Jamie Paulin Ramirez.

The Patois of Haole and Gaalos

Posted on by

A linguist keeps an eye peeled for interesting words, words that are slangy and can be translated into the patois of other languages. The Hawaiian term haole translates as whitey and the Somali term gaalos translates as non-muslim. I am not looking gaalos up, just basing my translation on this conversation on SomaliNet:

TeAmo: Girls dudessss I’m finding it so hard to wear my Hijab and Abaya. I just feel like I want to take it off but then I feel bad if I take it off. I miss the wind blowing through my hair and I feel like it limits me from doing things like going out with certain ppl and going certain places and I feel happy when I’m not wearing it coz I can act how I like then, I’m not representing anything. Life is so complicated. I cnt even do my activities anymore I rly liked playing football in my spare time but I cnt anymore coz some of our coaches are male. I can’t relate to my friends anymore coz I feel like their not like me And I cnt hang around with religious ppl either coz I feel like I’m not on their level.

Substance:  think girls that were hijab is the most beautiful thing that exist and maybe u should try and hangout with muslim friends instead of gaalos? And you dont need to compare yourself to other religious people, you are only putting extra weight on yourself for no reason.Be strong and have faith

Hmm, I may lack self-control. The complex linguistic picture (with fariinji and cadaan) is laid out here.

Muslim Farmers vs. Muslim Cattlemen

Posted on by

Generally, belonging to a group breeds harmony. Here is a case where two groups,  Muslim farmers and Muslim cattlemen, are fighting amongst each other: 

Activist Shehu Sani, who leads the Kaduna-based Civil Rights Congress, said it appeared the attack was between Muslim farmers and Muslim nomadic cattlemen who graze in the area. Tensions and violence spring up between the two groups, though not often with such an intensity.

 Can’t we all just get along?

Around the World

Posted on by

While they are celebrating Ramadan in the Muslim world:

A Muslim man sleeps along the streets of historic centre of Stone Town in Zanzibar.

 Two Soldiers are mid-air and one facedown in the mud in China:

Soldiers jump as they take part during a military training session in muddy water at a military base in Jinan, Shandong province.

And Zombies are countering Westboro Baptist Church protestors in America.

Fort Hood Purple Hearts

Posted on by

Is this not a no-brainer? That the victims of the Fort Hood attack should most certainly receive Purple Hearts. The circumstances regarding that assault – a Muslim “Army” shrink who committed jihad – all point towards terrorism. Regardless of the fact that it occurred in the continental United States. The facts:

Federal lawmakers have proposed making the victims of the 2009 Fort Hood shooting rampage eligible for the Purple Heart.

A bill introduced in Congress would remove the distinction between international and domestic terrorism, making any military victims of terrorist attacks in the U.S. eligible for the Purple Heart. It’s now awarded only to troops attacked in a combat zone.

The bill is sponsored by Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent, and Republican Rep. Peter King of New York.

Shakila Naderi, a Great Afghani Woman

Posted on by

When I was deployed to Bahrain, Thursdays had an interesting flavor all their own. The Saudis would invade Manama. Which meant women drivers who did not drive a whole lot in their native Saudi Arabia. And they wore head coverings which impeded both their peripheral vision and the ability for other drivers to see which way they were looking.

Here is Kabul’s only female driving instructor. Nevermind her student’s head covering, she deserves our support:

Shakila Naderi (L), teaches a girl how to drive a car, in Kabul May 15, 2012. The morning after the Taliban fell Naderi shed her head-to-toe burqa, sat behind the wheel of a car for the first time and asked her husband to teach her how to drive. Now Kabul’s only female driving instructor, she teaches women a rare skill that confronts harsh opposition in ultra-conservative, Muslim Afghanistan.

First They Came for the Clowns

Posted on by
Egyptian film actor and comedian Adel Imam, right, walks with Egyptian actress Laila Elwi, left, during the Second Dubai International Film Festival.

<<<<<——Do you recognize this gentleman?

Yes?

Then you must enjoy the emotional roller coaster that is an Egyptian movie. His name is Adel Imam and he is one of the most famous comedic actors in the Middle East. And he is going to jail:

An Egyptian court on Tuesday upheld a conviction against one of the Arab world’s most famous comedians, sentencing him to jail for offending Islam in some of his most popular films.

The case against Adel Imam and others like it have raised concerns among some Egyptians that ultraconservative Muslims who made gains in recent elections after Hosni Mubarak’s ouster last year are trying to foist their religious views on the entire country. Critics say the trend threatens to curb Egypt’s vibrant film industry and freedom of speech.

Imam was sentenced to three months in jail and fined around $170 for insulting Islam in roles he played in movies such as “The Terrorist”, in which he acted the role of a wanted terrorist who found refuge with a middle class, moderate family, and the film “Terrorism and Kabab. ”

The actor was also found guilty for his 2007 role in “Morgan Ahmed Morgan,” in which Imam played a corrupt businessman who tries to buy a university diploma.

First they came for the clowns. . .

Conflicts in Feminism

Posted on by

Woman is my slave name;
feminism will give me freedom to seek some other identity altogether.
–Ann Snitow, “A Gender Diary,” Conflicts in Feminism

A woman Afghan Special Forces member participates in a night raid training exercise in Kabul April 11, 2012

Crouching behind a wooden barrier, 27-year-old Sergeant Sara Delawar fires her M-4 rifle at a target showing the silhouette of a man, part of a training exercise for Afghan special forces.

Anxious to defuse tensions stoked by foreign male soldiers raiding Afghans’ homes at night in what is a conservative Muslim country, Afghanistan has begun training elite female troops to join Afghan male soldiers on operations.

“Before we joined this unit, our operations were done by foreign troops and they did not know our culture. People were critical so we joined to help out,” Delawar, a former policewoman in Jowzjan province, said.

The program began two months ago and drew women from the Tajik, Uzbek, Turkmen and Hazara ethnic groups, but not from the Pashtun where the Taliban recruit most of their fighters.

Feminism is a foreign concept to me. Not because I treat women well, which I do, but because of the anger I see in it. I like quoting feminist thinkers. Perhaps we live in new times, but I find their sayings hysterical.

Take Ann Snitow above. She thinks she is going to get away from being a woman?

No, the one seeking a new identity altogether is the (female) special forces soldier. That takes real guts and not just accusatory histrionics.

The Cunning Muslim Bro’s Candidate

Posted on by

Do you speak Arabic? If so, you would recognize that the Muslim Brotherhood’s Muhammad Khairat el-Shater’s last name (el-Shater) translates as “the sly” or “the cunning.” Khairat, his middle name*, could be a derivative of the word “good” (khiar.) And what is the good, cunning one up to? He possibly may be the Muslim Bro’s presidential candidate:

Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate Khairat el-Shater, خيرت الشاطر‎

Egyptian military judges dropped convictions against Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate Khairat el-Shater, clearing the nominee of the nation’s dominant political party to run in the election, the group’s lawyer said.

“We have taken administrative, legal and judicial measures before the military judiciary and based on this, all convictions have been dropped,” Abdel Monem Abdel Maqsoud said in a phone interview in Cairo yesterday.

The Brotherhood said March 31 that el-Shater was its candidate for the presidential election that begins May 23 and May 24, making him one of the favorites to win and potentially increasing tensions between the once-banned group and the generals who currently rule the nation.

Nice Reebok shirt there, Shater. It is smart of be pictured in that sort of garb, it gives the appearance of moderation. And a toothy smile and a wave? Wow, we hit the trifecta: a smile, a wave, and a Reebok shirt!

Facts that make me more nervous about Shater:

-Khairat El-Shater joined the youth wing of the Nasserist Arab Socialist Union at age 16.

-Having become an Islamist dissident, he went into exile in England in 1981. After returning in the mid-1980s, he became an active member of the Muslim Brotherhood. In 1995, he became head of the Brotherhood’s Greater Cairo branch.

Facts that make me less nervous about Shater:

-The Middle East researcher Avi Asher-Schapiro considers El-Shater to be a strong advocate of privatization and free market.

You and your boys have been the unofficial Egyptian opposition party for years, Shater. Now you may get your chance to rule. Good luck. I think you will find it a lot easier to make noise than to lead. . .

* Naming conventions differ between the Middle East and here. What we may consider a first, middle, and last name does not translate directly between cultures. Often a father takes his son’s name and adds Abu to it. As in Abu Ahmed or Father of Ahmed.

Joy, Jihad, and Death

Posted on by

Sometimes stories thematically follow in threes, each on the heels of the first. Tonight, we go from happy to sad. From joy to pain and then to death. And our theme? Rap. The music, not the quick knuckle-tap the nuns used to give you at your Catholic middle school.

Khaliyl Llolyi, little rapper

1. Two year old Khaliyl Llolyi is the offspring of Femi (Smoothflow) and Roucheo Lloyi from the gospel hip-hop duo, Royal Priesthood.

Did that make any sense to you? Me neither. I have never heard of any of these cooly-named individuals. Roucheo? Is that some European Oscar the Grouchish dude?

In the video, Khaliyl raps with a family friend named Alim Kamara. And he is two-years old. He speaks in baby language, his native tongue. And he is two-years old. It is funny. The video is homemade and spontaneous. Have I mentioned that he is two-years old?

2. John Atterberry, a former rap-music executive was shot in Los Angeles:

John Atterberry

A former Death Row Records vice president, John Atterberry, remains in critical condition at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, one of several victims caught Friday in a Hollywood street rampage conducted by a distraught 26-year-old gunman.

Atterberry was driving his Mercedes coupe when Tyler Brehm started shooting at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood Friday. . .

Atterberry, a founder of Mergela Records and Consulting, also helped create the music publishing company Infusion Music Group.

Oddly, or not oddly, very few mainstream press folks are reporting that the shooter yelled “Allah Akbar” during the rampage. Is Tyler Muslim and is this a jihadic gesture? The press seems not the slightest bit curious.

John Atterberry, with former VP Dick Cheney, victim of gunman yelling Allah Ackbar

3. The last rap story is a sad one. It also involves a toddler, but the poor kid dies. During the filming of a rap video, some degenerates drive by the set and shoot into the crowd. And Hiram Lawrence is seriously wounded, to sadly die later:

A one-year-old boy shot in a hail of gunfire last month is to be taken off life support today after tests found he has no brain activity.

Hiriam Lawrence

Hiram Lawrence was shot in the head when an six gunmen targeted a group filming a rap video in Oakland, California on November 28.

Earlier this week, doctors at the city’s Children’s Hospital found that the youngster, whose second birthday is just weeks away, was brain dead.

Truly, it sounded like a brutal drive-by. Gang wars. Beefs. Turf battles. Chickens. Longstanding grudges. Angry flare-ups. All these probably contributed to this:

Witnesses say 20-30 people had gathered at in the city’s West Oakland neighbourhood to film a rap music video at around 6pm when the suspects opened fire with automatic weapons.

Norman Bobino, uncle of Hiriam Lawrence

Three from the targeted group are then thought to have fired back.

Investigators found dozens of bullet casings near a parking lot close to the Nimitz Freeway and the U.S. Post Office, which suggested at least six gunmen were involved.

Police reported finding blood on the street and later established the incident started when dozens of people gathered in a liquor store parking lot, drinking and shooting a music video just after dark.

Somehow, the parents are dealing with the tragic aftermath. Norman Bobino, Hiriam’s uncle, spoke to the press about the grief they were living through.