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Politics : The Truth About Islam -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DeplorableIrredeemableRedneck who wrote (1611)	9/27/2006 12:06:42 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 20106

Barghouti: More kidnappings if top prisoners not freed YNet ^ \| Sept. 27, 2006 \| Roee Nahmias ynetnews.com Jailed Fatah leader says if senior prisoners not freed in swap deal for Shalit, it will only spur more abductions. During meeting with MK Taleb El-Sana, Barghouti says Israel responsible for kidnappings: Hostage situation wouldn’t have happened if Palestinian, Lebanese prisoners were freed If senior Palestinian security prisoners are not released as part of the prisoner swap deal to free kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, more kidnappings will likely ensue, jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti said. Barghouti, who is serving five life sentences in an Israeli prison, expressed this view during a one-and-a-half hour meeting Wednesday with MK Taleb El-Sana at the prison's visiting quarters. In addition to Shalit’s release, the two discussed the pending PA unity government and the implications of the war in Lebanon. El-Sana said he came away with the impression that Barghouti was in heightened spirits and that he was familiar with the smallest details of the political realities in both Israel and the Palestinian Authority. According to El-Sana, during their conversation Barghouti charged Israel with responsibility for the kidnappings. If Israel had agreed to free Samir Kuntar, the kidnappings in Lebanon could have been avoided, and Israel’s release of Palestinian prisoners would have not only prevented the snatching of Shalit, but also strengthened Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' leadership. Barghouti added, “Just as Gilad Shalit is important to his family and country, so is every Palestinian prisoner.” It has already been proven that the prisoners are the true leaders of the Palestinian people, he declared, as only they could draft the list of principles which became a basis of unity for the Palestinians, and came to be known as the ‘Prisoners’ Document.’ He noted that any step towards a prisoner swap deal must be approved by the prisoners themselves, and therefore if the deal doesn’t include senior detainees – it will only invite additional kidnappings. ‘Recognize Oslo agreements’ Regarding talks towards a Palestinian unity government, Barghouti noted that he did not regret Hamas’ participation in elections because Palestinians want a pluralistic democratic state. He said Hamas erred when it set up a cabinet comprising only Hamas members rather than a unity government, which is “a chief Palestinian interest and a step that will end the blockade and suffering of the Palestinian people, and will prevent civil war.” El-Sana said that Barghouti believes in the supreme importance of Palestinian unity, especially now considering the developments in the Middle East following the war in Lebanon, which “exposed the limits of power” and will soon hail in a diplomatic transformation. Barghouti said the future Palestinian government would be based on the Prisoners’ Document, which included establishing a Palestinian state on the 1967 border – which in his view constitutes a revolutionary precedent. He added that the unity government must accept all prior agreements signed with Israel, including the Oslo agreements which recognize Israel’s right to exist. “We don’t have to demand every Palestinian organization recognize Israel,” he said. “It is enough that the PLO, which is the roof over the other Palestinian organizations, and the Palestinian government recognize Israel.” He also remarked that in any case, the essence of negotiation issues is in the hands of Abbas and not the Palestinian government. Abbas is not weak – but Israel is weakening him, Barghouti purported. “Since he rose to power the number of prisoners has only grown. Who is responsible for that if not Israel?” he questioned. MK El-Sana said he believed his meeting with Barghouti contributed to the progress of the prisoner exchange issue. “I don’t believe a deal will go through without the blessing of the Palestinian prisoners, and it is important to recruit them towards this effort,” El-Sana told Ynet after the meeting.

To: DeplorableIrredeemableRedneck who wrote (1611)	9/27/2006 1:32:30 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 20106

Fear of offending Islam spurs hot debate in Europe Reuters ^ \| 9/267/2006 \| Mark Trevelyan and Mike Collett-White news.yahoo.com Four canceled performances of a Mozart opera have reignited an anxious and heated debate in Europe over free speech, self-censorship and Islam. By canning its production of "Idomeneo," fearful of security threats because of a scene that might offend Muslims, Berlin's Deutsche Oper provoked front-page headlines across the continent and found itself fending off charges of cowardice. The controversy centered on a scene in which King Idomeneo is shown on stage with the severed heads of Buddha, Jesus, Mohammad and the sea god Poseidon. "Here we go again. It's like deja vu...This is exactly the kind of self-censorship I and my newspaper have been warning against," said Flemming Rose, culture editor of Denmark's Jyllands-Posten paper, which met a storm of Muslim protest after publishing satirical cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad last year. He said bowing to fears of a violent Muslim reaction would only worsen the problem: "You play into the hands of the radicals. You are telling them: your tactics are working. This is a victory for the radicals. It's weakening the moderate Muslims who are our allies in this battle of ideas." The drawings, including one showing Mohammad with a bomb in his turban, triggered violent demonstrations throughout the Muslim world but were defended by the newspaper as an expression of free speech and a challenge to religious taboos. Berlin security officials had warned that staging the opera "Idomeneo" would pose an "incalculable security risk." GUNS AND BOMBS The decision to cancel the production even before any protests had materialized was singled out for criticism. "To do it in advance of any actual protest I think invokes the next protest, because the radicals in any community are aided and abetted by that," said Lisa Appignanesi, a novelist and deputy president of the writers' group PEN in England. "We don't want to end up in a situation where we don't dare to speak up. What we do not want is a society where one is constantly fearful about what the people holding the bombs or the guns might say." European countries, rocked by a series of events including Islamist bombings in Madrid and London and widespread rioting in French immigrant communities last year, are struggling to find better ways of integrating their Muslim minorities. The latest controversy follows a furor in the Muslim world over comments by Pope Benedict this month in which he cited a medieval emperor who associated Islam with violence. He has since distanced himself from the quotations and assured Muslims of his respect, although without directly apologizing. Some analysts fear a climate is developing in which people are afraid to speak out publicly. In a speech to the annual conference of think-tank Oxford Analytica last week, its head, David Young, said political correctness posed a threat to free expression for journalists, politicians and academics alike. Nirjay Mahindru, an Asian playwright who runs a theater company in Britain, told Reuters: "British Asian writers are without a shadow of a doubt not writing what they want to write about or what they feel is reflective of what is out there. They are writing what is now expected of them." "This has been going on for at least two or three years and it's almost like a coalition of fundamentalist forces, whether they are Christian or Muslim or Hindu or whoever. I just wish more members of the artistic community would be brave." CLASH OF VALUES The opera cancellation was just the last of a series of incidents in recent years where religious sensitivities and artistic expression have clashed. In 2004, Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh was murdered after outraging Muslims with a film accusing Islam of promoting violence against women, and a British play featuring sexual abuse and murder in a Sikh temple was canceled after protests. Last year London's Tate Britain museum removed a sculpture by John Latham which it feared would offend Muslims and a British tour of "Jerry Springer - The Opera" was temporarily canceled when conservative Christian groups complained. Such tensions are not new, although artists argue they have become more common since September 11, 2001. In 1989 British author Salman Rushdie was forced into hiding after Iran issued a fatwa calling for his death after he wrote "The Satanic Verses." "You can't be afraid of constantly watching your back in the arts," PEN's Appignanesi said. "One is in the business of provoking response. Otherwise there is no art."

To: DeplorableIrredeemableRedneck who wrote (1611)	9/27/2006 8:32:45 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 20106

Pakistan's ISI intelligence service indirectly supporting taliban and A.Q:Defence Academy(U.K) BBC ^ \| sept 26 2006 news.bbc.co.uk The report said the Iraq war had radicalised disillusioned youth The Iraq war has acted as a "recruiting sergeant" for extremists, a research paper prepared for the Ministry of Defence's Defence Academy(U.K)says. The paper on Pakistan admitted serious failings in the war on terror, the BBC's Newsnight programme has learned. It blamed Pakistan's ISI intelligence service for indirectly supporting terrorism and extremism. The MoD said the academic research notes did not represent the views of the department or the government. 'Disillusioned youth' The paper said: "The war in Iraq...has acted as a recruiting sergeant for extremists across the Muslim world. "Iraq has served to radicalise an already disillusioned youth and al-Qaeda has given them the will, intent, purpose and ideology to act." On Afghanistan, the paper said the UK went in "with its eyes closed". The report also reveals that a secret deal to extricate UK troops from Iraq so they could focus on Afghanistan failed when British military leaders were over-ruled. It blames the ISI for "indirectly supporting terrorism and extremism, whether in London on 7/7 or in Afghanistan or Iraq". The paper also accuses the Pakistan Army of indirectly supporting the Taleban by backing Pakistan's religious parties. President Musharraf told Newsnight: "I totally, 200% reject it. I reject it from anybody - MoD or anyone who tells me to dismantle ISI. "ISI is a disciplined force, breaking the back of al-Qaeda. Getting 680 people would not have been possible if our ISI was not doing an excellent job." Military background The author of the academic paper, based on research carried out in Pakistan less than three months ago, is understood to be linked to the Secret Intelligence Service. He has a military background and has been involved in strategy dealing with the threats from terrorism. The BBC has chosen not to name him for security reasons. An MoD spokesman said: "The academic research notes quoted in no way represent the views of either the MoD or the government. "To represent it as such is deeply irresponsible and the author is furious that his notes have been wilfully misrepresented in this manner. "Indeed, he suspects that they have been released to the BBC precisely in the hope that they would cause damage to our relations with Pakistan. "Pakistan is a key ally in our efforts to combat international terrorism and her security forces have made considerable sacrifices in tackling al-Qaeda and the Taleban. "We are working closely with Pakistan to tackle the root causes of terrorism and extremism." Tony Blair has consistently denied a link between military action in Afghanistan and Iraq and Muslim radicalisation and extremism in the UK and abroad.