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

To: Stan who wrote (1796)	9/29/2006 9:30:32 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 20106

Syria Threat Over Golan Puts Israel On War Alert The Telegraph (UK) ^ \| 9-30-2006 \| Harry de Quetteville telegraph.co.uk (Filed: 30/09/2006) Israel has gone on heightened alert over a possible war with Syria amid reports that President Bashar Assad may be considering military strikes to regain the Golan Heights. A signpost points out that Damascus is a mere 60kms from the Golan Heights For years Israeli military intelligence has down-played Syria's capacity to launch a meaningful attack against Israel, and the threat level has been kept "low". But Israeli reports have revealed that the threat level had been raised after intelligence assessments that Damascus is "seriously examining" military action. The raised threat level comes as Israel prepares for Monday's Day of Atonement, known as Yom Kippur, a solemn Jewish holiday when the entire country effectively shuts down as residents fast and seek forgiveness for sins. It was on Yom Kippur in 1973 that Israel was caught by surprise as Syrian and Egyptian forces launched a joint attack and inflicted heavy losses before being repelled. "The first two days of that war were huge defeats for Israel," said Prof Uri Bar-Joseph, an expert on the 1973 conflict. "All the intelligence analysts failed." Israel is determined to make sure that it is not surprised again, flagging up Syrian military preparations and signals from President Assad that his country might be readying for war. The Syrian leader said this week that he "wanted to make peace with Israel". But he warned that his "hopes for peace could change one day". "And if this hope disappears, then war may really be the only solution," he added. That mixed message has proved divisive in Israel, renewing debate about whether to stay tough, or engage with Syria and solve the decades-long dispute over the strategically important Golan Heights, which Israel first captured in the 1967 Six Day War. Jewish settlers now populate the territory, which is crucial to Israel as a buffer zone with Syria and as a vantage point over its hostile neighbour, as well as providing Israel with a large proportion of its water supply. Senior Israeli politicians and commentators are split about whether the time is right to start negotiations which would lead to a peace deal between the countries. Few doubt that such talks would end with Israel returning the occupied land. In return, however, Israeli advocates of the handover say the deal would split Syria from Iran, and would constrain Hizbollah and Palestinian militant groups which have headquarters in Damascus. The Speaker of the Israeli parliament, Dalia Itzik, is one of those pleading for talks to begin. "Syria is sending signals all the time and I am not sure that we have the luxury of wasting opportunities like those," she said. "Imagine a new alliance with Syria. It is possible. Should we miss it?" But the prime minister, Ehud Olmert, has dismissed such calls. Mr Olmert, who is politically vulnerable after his much-criticised handling of this summer's war in Lebanon, is in no mood to make territorial concessions. He fuelled tension this week by insisting that "the Golan Heights will remain in our hands forever". "Ehud Olmert is not strong enough to make a deal right now," said Shlomo Brom, a former strategy chief for the Israeli army. He said Israel would have to give up the Golan Heights to satisfy Syria, "but Mr Olmert is overloaded with Palestinian problems". Mr Olmert has threatened to dismiss any cabinet minister who suggests negotiations with Syria. "Assad wants to use threats as leverage to build on Israel's failures in Lebanon," said Mr Brom. "But any sane observer understands that Syrian military forces cannot match Israel, mostly due to our air superiority." •The United Nations confirmed yesterday that four peacekeepers killed in Lebanon in July were hit by a half-ton Israeli precision guided missile.

To: Stan who wrote (1796)	9/29/2006 9:51:23 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 20106

Cameroon : Imam gets 15 years for raping pupils Sapa-AFP via Sunday Times ^ \| 09/29/2006 sundaytimes.co.za YAOUNDE - An Islamic cleric has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in the west African state of Cameroon for raping 20 pupils in a Koranic school, court sources said. Judges at the trial in Ngaoundere, a leading Muslim community in the country, also banned the defendant Modibo Mamadou Babba for life from exercising the duties of an imam. The defendant was arrested at the beginning of this year following a collective complaint by the parents of the youngsters, aged between 16 and 21. The affair caused a major scandal locally, where a section of the Muslim community was angry because the defendant was not sentenced to death.

To: Stan who wrote (1796)	9/30/2006 1:41:52 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 20106

The Pope and Muslim Ambassadors THe American Thinker ^ \| 09/30/06 \| Stefania Lapenna americanthinker.com The Pope recently met with ambassadors from Islamic countries. Although the meeting itself was widely reported, important details and contextual information have not been widely reported even in Italy, much less in the worldwide media. They provide important signals for understanding the Pontiff’s strategy and intentions. The Islamist reaction to Pope Benedict XVI’s remarks on Islam led many skeptics to realize that what terrorists are waging is not just a war against the values of life and liberty. Not even a war on civilization. Rather, it is a war of religions and cultures. The killing of an Italian nun in Somalia two weeks ago has been considered by Western media and public opinion as vengeance for the Pope’s statements. Although there is a bit of truth in this assertion, what many fail to understand is that Islamists do not need pretexts and “controversial” speeches to kill non-Muslims. Christians are continuously under siege in countries like Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Palestinian terrotories, Egypt and the newly-established Talibanized Somalia, not to mention the recent execution of three Christians in Indonesia. In his meeting with the ambassadors of the Muslim countries, Benedict XVI has not apologized. He has stated once again that violence must be rejected (a clear reference to the reaction to his remarks in Germany) and, more important, demanded the ambassadors that religious freedom be granted because dialogue must be based on reciprocity of rights. It has been noticed that, after his speech to the Islamic ambassadors, the latter were not allowed to reply. As the Egyptian-born deputy director of Il Corriere della Sera Magdi Allam said in one of his latest editorials, this decision was taken on behalf of the Pope because he is aware of his right to criticize Islam and urge reciprocity. In other words, he did not need to know if the ambassadors agreed or not. Benedict also met with the government-appointed Muslim Advisory Board. Before this important meeting, both Magdi Allam and several moderate members of the board worked hard to prevent the Union of the Italian Islamic Communities (UCOII) from meeting the Pope. UCOII is a radical Islamic front group tied to the Muslim Brotherhood. Last month, they paid for ads published in a newspaper in which they compared Israel’s military actions in Lebanon to the Nazi war crimes. Furthemore, UCOII – which claims to control most of the mosques in Italy – does not accept Israel’s right to exist and supports suicide bombings in Israel, Iraq and Afghanistan. Being a member of the Advisory Board, UCOII’s representative Nouri Dachan has also met the Pope. Nevertheless, the Italian television media failed to show the images of the Moroccan feminist and secularist Souad Sbai shaking hands with Benedict XVII and talking to him for several minutes. Sbai is president of the Community of the Moroccan Women in Italy, an association that campaigns for the rights of the Moroccan women who are victims of family violence. She is also very active in denouncing the risks of multiculturalism and is firmly opposed to the presence of Islamic schools on Italian soil. During her unreported meeting with the Pope, she delivered to him a letter wrote by a group of concerned citizens in which they explain who the UCOII really is and ask the Pontiff to isolate the extremists and promote relations with the truly moderate and secularist groups that so far has been ignored by the Italian government. Souad Sbai said that Vatican’s newly-appointed Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone (who speaks a fluent Arabic and knows the Islamic world very well) told her the Pope will be gladly willing to consider such advice. It is more than appropriate to say that the Roman Catholic Church under the lead of former theology professor Joseph Ratzinger has opened a new era in the relations with the Islamic world. While the late John Paul II appeased Islam to counter the then communist enemy, Benedict knows the Muslim religion and the Islamic way of thinking enough to not be afraid to criticize some negative respects and say once and for all that dialogue cannot be unconditional. His meeting with the ambassadors and the Italian Muslim community showed the Vatican’s refusal to apologize for using its right to freedom of speech.Now it is up to the world of Islam to decide if to opt for rationalism or continue to put obstacles to a constructive dialogue by choosing to keep living in the Dark Ages.