Erdogan: Israel Worse than Sudan, 'Muslims Don't Cause Genocide'

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at Israel on Sunday as he came to the defense of Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who faces worldwide condemnation for the genocide taking place in the Darfur region of his country.

Addressing members of his party, Erdogan said he preferred meeting with Bashir over meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

“I wouldn't be able to speak with Netanyahu so comfortably as I would with Bashir,” he was quoted by Turkish media as saying. “I would say to [Bashir's] face, 'What you've done is wrong.'”

Erdogan's remark joined several other recent anti-Israel statements that have led to a cooling of ties between Israel and Turkey in recent months.

Erdogan claimed to know that Bashir is innocent, and that there is no genocide taking place in Sudan. “A Muslim can never commit genocide,” he said in explanation. “It's not possible.”

The Turkish PM added that he had visited Darfur and did not see evidence of genocide during his trip.

Bashir announced Sunday that he would postpone a planned visit in Turkey, where he was to attend a meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

While Turkish media reported that Bashir may come on Monday or Tuesday instead of Sunday, the Reuters news service reported that Bashir's visit had been canceled due to an international arrest warrant against him for crimes against humanity.

The United Nations and international activist groups believe that up to 300,000 people have been killed in fighting in Sudan's Darfur regions, where they say government-backed Arab Muslim militias are slaughtering local black African Muslims.

The Sudanese government denies committing genocide.

Source: INN

Obama to offer Sudan 'incentives'

The US has said it will renew tough economic sanctions against Sudan soon, but also promised broad engagement with Khartoum in an effort to end the "ongoing dire human consequences of genocide" in Darfur.

Barack Obama, the US president, said that if the government of Sudan acted to improve the situation on the ground, there would be "incentives".

But if Sudan did not act, "then there will be increased pressure imposed by the US and the international community".

The UN estimates that as many as 300,000 people have died and more than two million have been driven from their homes in Darfur since 2003, when mostly non-Arab fighters took up arms against the Khartoum government.

Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, said genocide was taking place in the region and that Washington's focus would be on protecting civilians, helping displaced persons and ensuring that fighters were disarmed.

In his statement on Monday, Obama said: "Sudan is now poised to fall further into chaos if swift action is not taken.

"First, we must seek a definitive end to conflict, gross human-rights abuses and genocide in Darfur.

"Second, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the North and South in Sudan must be implemented to create the possibility of long-term peace."

Clinton said the new Obama policy toward Sudan would include "a menu of incentives and disincentives" but refused to specify what they might be.

Read more here,,,,

Source: Al Jazeera (English)

Scott Gration Chooses Normative Policy With War-Crime Indicted President

In a September 29th report in the Washington Post, Major General Scott Gration, the US Special Envoy for Sudan, stated that he plans to implement a “normative” relations policy to solve the Darfur crisis with the only war-crime indicted President in the world, Omar Al-Bashir. Gration believes that positive cooperation with the Sudanese government is the best way to end the genocide: “We've got to think about giving out cookies. Kids, countries, they react to gold stars, smiley faces, handshakes, agreements, talk,” Gration stated.

The Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy is extremely saddened by Gration’s proposal and naïve remarks about Darfur and the Sudanese government. It is clear that Gration and the Obama administration fail to realize or choose to ignore the severity of the genocide and rampant corruption within the Sudanese government. As fellow Darfur activist John Prendergast bluntly criticized Gration in the report, “They [The Sudanese Government] do not respond to nice guys [like Gration] coming over and saying, 'We have to be a good guest…they eat these people for dinner.”

It appears that Gration and the Obama administration have no plans to hold the Sudanese government and President Omar Al-Bashir accountable for their crimes against humanity-killing more than 450,000 innocent people thus far. As Gration begins his normative relations process with ICC-indicted Bashir, countless Darfuris will continue to be killed, detained, and raped while their villages, from Jabel Mara to Kornoy to El-geneina on the western border, are pillaged and destroyed. It is obvious now that Gration, who denied a full-fledged Darfuri genocide and merely called it “a remnant genocide," is paving the way for the Sudanese government to escape accountability and punishment for their crimes against humanity; it is shame that the U.S. seems to be working for the criminal government rather than protecting the victims of Darfur.

Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy strongly condemns Gration’s naïve and unfair policy and strongly urges the following actions to be implemented:
- Immediately act to reconsider this policy before any serious implementation occurs.
- Replace Gration with a strong, honest, and effective new envoy for Sudan.
- Terminate U.S. relations with the Sudanese government to protect the rights of Darfuris.
- Arrest Al-Bashir and the associated Sudanese government officials and transport them to the ICC before any peace negotiations take place.
- Suspend elections in Sudan until all refugees are returned, their villages rebuilt, and the Janjaweed settlers are evacuated.
- Fully deploy the promised 26,000 UN Peace keepers with helicopters and associated financial and logistical resources to fully protect the Darfuri refugees.
- Enact a non-fly zone over Darfur to protect innocent Darfuris from Sudanese aircraft bombings.
-Disarm the Janjaweed Arab militias immediately.

Source: damanga

Slavery in Sudan: Islamic Holyness in Action. Please (God), Help!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Support counterjihad heroine in her time of need...

STOPShariaLAWnow is the victim of a new flagging campaign on YouTube. This time they're targeting her video about slavery in Sudan, "My Slave, My Infidel."

Video/Documentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjmPVwG5jAk

Watch it, rate it and subscribe...

Source: http://occidentalsoapbox.blogspot.com/2009/09/support-counterjihad-heroine-in-her.html