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

To: Ichy Smith who wrote (10466)	10/10/2007 5:52:05 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 20106

Secret Service: Islamists Now Pretending to be Moderate nisnews.nl ^ \| 10/10/07 nisnews.nl THE HAGUE, 10/10/07 - The Netherlands has entered a third phase of Islamic fundamentalism. Where radical Muslims previously wanted to subject the country to Islam in a violent manner, they are recently doing this in a much less visible way, by participating in social forums and saying they reject violence, the AIVD secret service warns. In a report presented yesterday, the AIVD distinguishes three phases in the development of Muslim radicalism in the Netherlands and Europe. "In the first phase, which began in the middle of the 1980s and still continues, a small number of ultra-orthodox mosques and preachers from the Middle East received direct ideological, logistic and financial support from Islamic model countries. They set themselves up based on the radical Dawa: the execution of conversion activities by Islamic mission movements of ultra-orthodox and radical signature. This conversion was mainly aimed at fellow-Muslims." "The second phase broke out after the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 and entered via a number of other relevant developments (the bombings in Madrid in 2003 and London in 2005 and the murder of Theo van Gogh in 2004) into an acceleration. Partly due to the dismantling of internationally operating terrorist networks after 2001, the coordinating relationship from the Islamic guide countries declined after 2001. A process of autonomisation began. (...) This phase is characterised by fragmentation, amateurism and wildfire growth of the so-called 'cut-and-paste ideology' employing selective quotes from Islamic sources." However, since mid-2005, a third phase has emerged in the Netherlands, led by Muslims of the second generation in the West. "They have become conscious that the growth and reputation of Islam was being damaged by the low organisation level of radical Islam in Europe, the unclear ideological message and the flirtation with violence" of the second phase. "The radical Dawa preachers of the third phase who are active in the Netherlands take categorical positions against the use of violence in the West. These new preachers specifically seek target groups that they are able to reach by means of a specific message." The AIVD warns that the "Islamic neo-radicalism", as it calls the third phase, is effective. "The other (and earlier) forms of Muslim radicalism had limited success, partly due to their often open sympathy for the violent Jihad. With Islamic neo-radicalism, it is different. Precisely because of the rejection of violence and the specific nature of the message, it reaches a much bigger target group and can even grow into a mass movement. Whether this will actually happen depends to an important degree on the resistance that the democratic rule of law poses here against it." The government, suggests the AIVD, does not appear to realise that "the present generation of Muslim radicals, (...) despite their claim to be broadly representative, in reality form a minority movement within European Islam. (...) Moderate Muslims do not sufficiently dare, due to the intimidating approach (of leaders of the third phase), to take a position against the views and activities of Muslim radicals. As a result, they are in a poor position to limit the force of attraction of the radical Dawa among parts of their youthful generation." In the Netherlands, either action against radical Muslims is too soft, or it is too quickly concluded that all Muslims may be radical, suggests the report. "Only a both confronting and participating approach has a chance of success. This however does not occur sufficiently because the debate on the tackling of Muslim radicalism in the Netherlands shows both strong relativist and strong absolutist characteristics." "From a relativist perspective, it is argued that the problem of Muslim radicalisation only involves a short-lived phase in the emancipation process of Dutch Muslims," according to AIVD. Conversely, from an absolutist point of view, it is said that "Islamisation of the Netherlands will be completed within a few decades." (...) "Both pictures do violence to reality." "A more realistic approach and the accompanying focused tackling deserves priority," the secret service recommends. "This option includes both a confrontation with the small, but influential group of instigators of Islamic neo-radicalism and an unconditional involvement with the majority of moderate Muslims." The AIVD concludes that "due to the emergence of the third phase, not only in the Netherlands but also in several neighbouring countries, the radical Dawa has become inextricably part of the Western societies." The Muslims that lead the third phase "no longer operate from a social isolation and are not aiming at confrontation, but more at gradual and sustainable growth of radical Islam in Europe."

To: Ichy Smith who wrote (10466)	10/10/2007 9:20:45 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 20106

Congressional panel approves Armenian genocide measure yahoo.com WASHINGTON - A House panel defied President Bush on Wednesday and approved a measure that he said would damage U.S. goals in the Middle East. The measure that would recognize the World War I-era killings of Armenians as a genocide had been strongly opposed by Turkey, a key NATO ally that has supported U.S. efforts in Iraq. The House Foreign Affairs Committee's 27-21 vote now sends the measure to the House floor — unless the Democratic leadership reverses course and heeds Bush's warnings. At issue is the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I. Turkey denies that the deaths constituted genocide, says the toll has been inflated and insists that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest. Bush and other senior officials made a last-minute push to persuade lawmakers on the Foreign Affairs Committee to reject the measure. "Its passage would do great harm to our relations with a key ally in NATO and in the global war on terror," Bush said hours before the vote. The committee's chairman, Democratic Rep. Tom Lantos, expressed concerns about security implications of the resolution but ultimately voted in favor. Turkey raised the possibility of impeding logistical and other U.S. military traffic now using Turkish airspace. "Unfortunately, some politicians in the United States have once again sacrificed important matters to petty domestic politics despite all calls to commonsense," President Abdullah Gul was quoted as saying by the state-run news agency Anatolia. "Naturally, this is a sad decision," said Nabi Sensoy, Turkey's ambassador to the U.S., minutes after the vote. "No one can allow others to put an undeserved stain on them." On Wednesday, hundreds of Turks marched to the U.S. Embassy in Ankara and the consulate in Istanbul to protest the bill. Armenian-American groups, who have worked for decades to pass a resolution, rejoiced at the committee's approval of the message. "The Foreign Affairs Committee's adoption today of the Armenian Genocide Resolution represents a meaningful step toward reclaiming our right_ as Americans — to speak openly and honestly about the first genocide of the 20th Century," said Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America. Earlier, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates conveyed their concerns. Passing the measure "at this time would be very problematic for everything we are trying to do in the Middle East," Rice told reporters at the White House. The vote comes at a tense time in the region. Turkey's government is seeking parliamentary approval for a military operation to chase separatist Kurdish rebels who operate from bases in northern Iraq. The move, opposed by the U.S., could open a new front in the most stable part of Iraq. The White House and Turkey are now expected to pressure Democratic leaders to keep the measure from going to a vote. But Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has signaled that they will have a hard sell. The administration made clear the stakes are high. Gates said 70 percent of U.S. air cargo headed for Iraq goes through Turkey, as does about one-third of the fuel used by the U.S. military in Iraq. "Access to airfields and to the roads and so on in Turkey would very much be put at risk if this resolution passes and Turkey reacts as strongly as we believe they will," Gates said. He also said that 95 percent of new vehicles designed to better protect against mine attacks are being flown through Turkey to get to Iraq. Lawmakers from both parties who supported the proposal said the moral implications outweighed security concerns and friendship with Turkey. "The sad truth is that the modern government of Turkey refuses to come to terms with this genocide," said Rep. Chris Smith, R.-N.J. "For Armenians everywhere, the Turkish government's denial is a slap in the face." Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, the resolution's sponsor, who is not on the committee, said that he hoped that it would now move quickly to a vote on the House floor. "America must speak candidly about the past not only to help heal the wounds of the survivors and the families of the victims, but to give the United States the moral authority it needs to take action against other genocides like that taking place today in Darfur," he said following the vote. Pelosi and the second-ranking Democrat in the House, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, met Wednesday with Turkish Ambassador Sensoy but emerged from the meeting unswayed. Hoyer told reporters he expects a floor vote on the measure before the House adjourns for the year. Hoyer said he hoped that Turkey would realize it is not a condemnation of its current government but rather of "another government, at another time."