JAKARTA: Islamic extremists have infiltrated deep into Indonesia's government, businesses, schools and religious bodies, and are using cunning new tactics to seize control of mosques and preach radicalism, former president Abdurrahman Wahid has written in a new book. Mr Wahid, who was president of Indonesia from 1999 to 2001, said hardliners were transforming Indonesia's traditionally moderate brand of Islam into one that is "aggressive, furious, intolerant and full of hate". Writing in The Illusion of an Islamic State, Mr Wahid said the extremists were systematically infiltrating Indonesian institutions in order to remake Indonesian society "in their own harsh and rigid likeness". Mr Wahid, also known as Gus Dur, said the hardliners were strongly influenced by transnational Islamic movements from the Middle East, such as Wahhabism and the Muslim Brotherhood, and many are financed by massive amounts of Wahhabi petro-dollars. The 68-year-old wrote that the hardliners have penetrated to the heart of Indonesia's Government, and warned of opportunistic politicians who work with extremist political parties and groups. "They have joined the extremists in driving our nation towards a deep chasm, which threatens destruction and national disintegration," he wrote. The book is based on more than two years of research by the LibForAll Foundation, a non-government organisation set up to promote religious tolerance and discredit extremism. The Indonesian Council of Religious Scholars had largely fallen into the grip of radicals and is now dictating to - and in many ways controlling - the country's government, he wrote. As Mr Wahid noted in the introduction, researchers for the book uncovered evidence of several cunning schemes extremists use to seize control of mosques. Under one scheme, a group of youths offer a mosque a free cleaning service. Actually "extremist agents", the cleaners aim to impress a mosque's management with their piety, and eventually gain a spot on the mosque's board. Once on the board, they consolidate their power, stack it with other radicals and eventually come to control who can serve as imam, deliver sermons or give religious education. The groups were also involved in strenuous efforts to seize control of Indonesia's mainstream Islamic organisations, particularly Muhammadiyah and the Nahdatul Ulama, in order to use them as vehicles to spread extremism, Mr Wahid said. About 90 per cent of Indonesia's 240 million people are Muslims. Mr Wahid, Indonesia's fourth president, was kicked out of office and impeached in 2001 amid accusations of incompetence and corruption. Source: The Australian
April 02 THREE Red Cross workers kidnapped in the Philippines by Islamic militants who have threatened to behead one of them are "alive", Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said, the ANSA news agency reported. The hostages - an Italian, a Swiss and a Filipino - "are alive according to information in our possession", following "contacts with our compatriot", Mr Frattini said. The Abu Sayyaf guerrillas had said they would behead one of the trio unless Philippine troops effectively ceded control of the island of Jolo, where the army has been battling the militants, by March 31. Source: The Australian
 OMAR al-Bashir, the Sudanese President, made a pilgrimage to Mecca yesterday, threatening the credibility of the International Criminal Court, which has issued a warrant for his arrest. Mr al-Bashir's journey to Saudi Arabia was his most daring act of defiance since he became the first sitting head of state to be named a fugitive from international justice last month and the court's highest-profile target. The court, designed to dispense justice based on the premise that there are universal moral standards that apply to all human behaviour, wants Mr al-Bashir to face trial for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Sudanese region of Darfur. While the 108 member nations that signed up to support the International Criminal Court (ICC) have a duty to arrest him, Mr al-Bashir has visited five countries since the warrant was issued - all non-ICC members - as he tries to polarise views against the court by portraying it as a vehicle for Western interference in Arab and African nations. The ICC's four current cases are all against Africans, which some believe presents it with an image problem that Mr al-Bashir is doing his best to exploit. The court's supporters are now prepared for at least one African nation to withdraw its support from the world's first permanent court for international justice after Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader and President of the African Union (AU), called it "a new world terrorism" this week. Mr al-Bashir was given a boost by the Arab League at the conclusion of its summit, which he attended in Qatar on Monday. "We reiterate our solidarity with Sudan and our rejection of the measure of the ... International Criminal Court against his Excellency," it said in its final statement. Embarrassingly Ban Ki Moon, the United Nations Secretary-General, was also at the summit and in the same room as Mr al-Bashir, though he was careful to avoid any contact. The UN set up the process that led to the creation of the court under the Rome statute of 1998. Mr al-Bashir's visit to Mecca, a short distance from Qatar, was said by the Saudi press agency to be a minor pilgrimage known as omra, in which he met officials from the Grand Mosque. The trip may help Mr al-Bashir cement support throughout the wider Islamic world, further eroding the court's authority. Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi Foreign Minister, has said that issuing the warrant was a politicised decision that would not lead to the stability of Sudan or "solve the Darfur issue". The International Coalition for the ICC, which represents the court's supporters, criticised those nations which welcomed Mr al-Bashir and scorned his attempts to drive a wedge between the Arab world and the court. "He probably has a great deal to ask forgiveness for, if that is one of the purposes of going to Mecca," said Bill Pace, chairman of the coalition. "It is too early to say if the recognition by the Arab governments of Mr al-Bashir will hurt the ICC more than it will hurt the reputation of the Arab League and governments. "It was expected that an arrest warrant for a sitting head of state would create tremendous controversy, and not only in the Arab world, but wherever leaders have fear of justice." It is in Africa, where Mr al-Bashir has visited his neighbours Egypt, Eritrea and Libya, where fears are most acute that one of the continent's 33 signatories to the ICC will withdraw. The AU, representing 53 countries on the continent, pressured the ICC to delay issuing its arrest warrant against Mr al-Bashir for at least a year to avoid jeopardising the Sudanese peace process. Jean Ping, the AU commissioner, is close to the Government of his native Gabon, an ICC signatory that some believe could be the first to walk away. Critics of the court are urging it to find non-African cases but that process will take time. Mr al-Bashir has closed down 16 aid groups in Sudan since the arrest warrant was issued on March 4 and appears to have strengthened his grip. "If there was an election now he would win it. The people admire a strong man and he has also managed to show himself as a victim of the West," said Faizal Silaik, deputy editor of the daily newspaper Ajras al-Huriya. Source: The Australian
Hamid Karzai has been accused of trying to win votes in Afghanistan's presidential election by backing a law the UN says legalises rape within marriage and bans wives from stepping outside their homes without their husbands' permission. The Afghan president signed the law earlier this month, despite condemnation by human rights activists and some MPs that it flouts the constitution's equal rights provisions. The final document has not been published, but the law is believed to contain articles that rule women cannot leave the house without their husbands' permission, that they can only seek work, education or visit the doctor with their husbands' permission, and that they cannot refuse their husband sex. Read more ...Source: Muslim Debate
 By Barry Rubin
President Obama got it wrong in answering a question about Israel-Palestinian issues in his press conference, March 25. But his mistakes are different from those everyone noticed.
The reporter asked:
“Mr. President, you came into office pledging to work for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. How realistic do you think those hopes are now, given the likelihood of a prime minister who's not fully signed up to a two-state solution and a foreign minister who has been accused of insulting Arabs?”
The reporter’s wording betrays typical aspects of many mainstream media messages:
--Any fault must be Israel’s and Israel is the sole focus of why there’s a problem. At least he formulated terms carefully. Benjamin Netanyahu is said to be “not fully signed up to a two-state solution,” instead of being labeled as opposed; Avigdor Lieberman is merely “accused” of insulting Arabs rather than being an evil racist.
--Palestinians only exist as victims so their politics aren’t worth studying or analyzing. After all, the PA’s prime minister just resigned, there’s a Hamas-Fatahn civil war, the PA announced elections in a year, and the current leader is ailing. As if that isn’t enough, the Palestinian leaders are really “not fully signed up to a two-state solution” and constantly insulting Jews.
Source: Gloria CenterH/T: R.L.
By Anav Silverman In recent years, billions of dollars have poured into Gaza from hundreds of countries and international organizations. How much of that money has actually reached Palestinian civilians, effectively improving their quality of life and economy, has yet to be completely determined thanks to vague audits and on-line information. Only recently, with a relatively silent international press, have there been questions from top political leaders, primarily from US, about the way in which the donor money will be transferred into Gaza. At an Egyptian donor’s conference organized by Norway and Egypt in early March, more than 75 international donors and organizations met to announce their financial support of the reconstruction in Gaza. Over $5.2 billion were pledged at the conference, surprising the Palestinian Authority who originally called for $2.8 billion needed to build-up Gaza. Read more ...Source: FrontPage MagazineUNRWA
Latest recipient of The Dhimmi Award
If you chose "No," please consider providing your solution to Gaza crisis in the comments.
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 Tayseer Rajab Tamimi: Palestinian Islamonazi-in-ChiefBy Khaled Abu Toameh The Palestinian Authority has issued yet another warning to Palestinians against selling their homes or properties to Jews, saying those who violate the order would be accused of "high treason" - a charge that carries the death penalty. The latest warning was issued on Wednesday by the Chief [Islamic] Judge of the Palestinian Authority, Sheikh Tayseer Rajab Tamimi, who reminded the Palestinians of an existing fatwa [religious decree] than bans them from selling property to Jews. Sheikh Tamimi's warning came in response to reports that Jewish businessmen from the US had purchased 20 dunams of land from Palestinians on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. Warning the Palestinians against engaging in "suspicious real estate deeds," the religious leader said that according to Islamic teachings it was a "grave sin" to sell houses and lands to Jews. He said that the ban also applies to real estate agents or middlemen who are involved in such transactions. He warned that anyone who ignores the warning would be punished in accordance with Islamic teachings and would also be ostracized by his community and family. Read more ...Source: Jerusalem PostH/T: Jihad Watch
BAITULLAH Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, has threatened to launch an attack on Washington that would "amaze everyone in the world" as he claimed responsibility for the raid on a police academy in Lahore and boasted of a new regional militant alliance. Mr Mehsud, for whom the US offered a $US5 million reward last week, said that Monday's raid, in which seven police officers were killed, was retaliation for US drone attacks on Pakistan's northern tribal areas, now the main hub of Taliban and al-Qa'ida activity. The 35-year-old leader of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (Movement of Taliban Pakistan), made the claims after taking the highly unusual step of telephoning Western news organisations from an undisclosed location. "We wholeheartedly take responsibility for this attack and will carry out more such attacks in future," he said. "Soon we will launch an attack in Washington that will amaze everyone in the world ... The maximum they can do is martyr me. But we will exact our revenge on them from inside America." Mr Mehsud's threat illustrates his growing confidence in the Pakistani Taliban's strength and reach. He recently agreed to shelve differences with fellow commanders and join forces with the Afghan Taliban. The alliance appears to be a deliberate response to President Obama's "Afpak" strategy, unveiled on Friday, to send 21,000 more troops to Afghanistan, pour $US7.5 billion into Pakistan, and to treat the two countries as a single military theatre. Mr Mehsud's power also appears to have been enhanced after the Pakistani Government reached a controversial peace deal with the Taliban in the northwestern Swat Valley, which borders the tribal areas. He has been blamed for several attacks in Pakistan, including the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December 2007, but most have been in the north west, and Monday's was thought to be his first on the eastern province of Punjab. The US Rewards for Justice website describes him as a "key al-Qa'ida facilitator" who has conducted cross-border attacks against American forces in Afghanistan and poses a clear threat to American people and interests in the region. The militant leader boasted that he had recently set up a "Council of Mujahidin" uniting different groups "to step up attacks on US and Nato forces in Afghanistan". That tallies with other reports that the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban have joined forces, and are also working with outlawed Pakistani militant groups with links to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency. The Pakistani Taliban is led by Mr Mehsud and two rival commanders - Hafiz Gul Bahadur and Maulavi Nazir - who are all based in the tribal regions of North and South Waziristan and have long feuded with each other. Mullah Omar, the Afghan Taliban leader, is reported to have sent a six-member team to Waziristan in late December and early January to forge a new alliance with the three men against the planned increase of American forces in Afghanistan. The Pakistani Taliban leaders agreed, and in February they formed the Council of Mujahidin and issued a printed statement vowing to resolve their differences and focus on fighting US-led forces in Afghanistan. However, they also appear to have enlisted elements of Pakistani militant groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), blamed for the attack on Mumbai last year, and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, blamed for last month's attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahore. They, along with elements of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), another banned militant group, give the alliance a presence in Punjab, which may explain the two recent attacks there, security officials and analysts say. "Many former fighters of LeT and JeM, and from southern Punjab, have been fighting with the Pakistani Taliban," one Pakistani security official said. Most experts agree that the militant alliance is fragile, especially since Mullah Omar wants to focus on Afghanistan, while Mr Mehsud and others have ambitions in Pakistan, but it still represents a major challenge to Mr Obama's new strategy. Michael Semple, an Irish expert on the region who was the former deputy head of the European Union mission in Kabul, predicts that some militants can be split from the group's core if governance and security are improved. "It can be done, and we do have a few demonstrated examples that prove that it is possible," he said. "But a lot of things are going to have to be done right if it is going to deliver enough people to be able to make a difference to the conflict." Source: The Australian
JERUSALEM
Incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Tuesday that "extremist Islam is trying to bring us down through terrorism from north and south" as his Cabinet prepared to take office. Netanyahu and his Cabinet were sworn in later in the day, after the Israeli parliament confirmed his new government in a 69-45 vote. The prime minister offered an olive branch of sorts to Palestinians but did not hold out the promise of their own state. "In order for there to be peace, our Palestinian allies and partners also have to fight terrorism," he said. "They must bring up their children in the spirit of tolerance and peace. In the last two decades, six heads of government in Israel have failed to achieve a peace settlement, but they were not at fault. I say to the leaders of the Palestinian Authority: If you really want peace, then peace can be achieved. "We don't want to control another people," Netanyahu said of Israel's military control of Palestinian territory, which dates to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. "We don't want to control the Palestinians. In a final a settlement, the Palestinians will have all the rights to rule themselves except those which threaten Israel's ability to protect itself." A senior Palestinian official immediately responded that Israel must end its "occupation" of Palestinian land if it wants peace. "I hope that Mr. Netanyahu will openly accept the two-state solution, negotiation on all core issues without exception, and stop the settlement activity, including natural growth, so we can have a partner in peace-making," said Saeb Erekat, chief negotiator for the Palestinian Authority. Netanyahu described Israel's neighbors as "moderate," but, like Israel, threatened by radical Islam. "Israel strives to achieve full peace with the Arab and Islamic world, and this is entirely the case today as the Arab and Islamic world -- which is moderate -- faces extremist Islam," he said. Netanyahu, leader of the center-right Likud Party, will lead a mostly right-leaning coalition that includes the hardline Yisrael Beytenu Party and the center-left Labor Party. His Cabinet is the largest in Israeli history, with 30 ministers and deputy ministers. Opposition leader Tzipi Livni ridiculed the size of the government. "The Israeli public is a skinny person who today has had the swollen, overweight government placed on its head. It has ministers for nothing with all sorts of ridiculous titles," said Livni, the Kadima Party leader and former foreign minister who refused to join the Netanyahu coalition. Source: CNN
INDIA'S Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described Pakistan as the "epicentre of terrorism in the world" and said it had failed to take effective action against militants. Speaking to the Financial Times, Dr Singh said Islamabad was either "unable" or "unwilling" to control Pakistan-based Islamist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which New Delhi accuses of staging the November attacks on Mumbai that killed 165 people. "The proof of the pudding is in the eating," he said. Dr Singh said that despite pledges by Pakistan throughout the past decade that it would not be a launch pad for attacks against India, "in practice no effective action has been taken to control terror". He added: "We all know the epicentre of terrorism in the world today is Pakistan. The world community has to come to grips with this reality." Source: The Australian
 IT took Hossein Adibi, the sociologist and “Islamic philosopher”, to finally convince me enough was enough. Yes, enough with the racial scapegoating. Enough with bashing the same old ethnic group. Adibi, a Queensland University of Technology researcher, has released a study on why our Muslims are twice more likely to be jobless. Said AAP: “Dr Adibi found that Muslims were disadvantaged due to four main factors: racism, discrimination, media bias and the lack of Muslim representation in decision-making bodies.” But how convenient: each one of those reasons involve Muslims being picked on or ignored by non-Muslims. Apparently Muslim unemployment has little to do with poor English, poor skills, poor assimilation, poor education of women or a rejection of our society. On ABC television’s Q&A last week, I was treated to yet another lecture of this kind by fellow panelist Susan Carland, born a Baptist but now a celebrity Muslim. She, too, claimed Muslims were just being “demonised” as Italian and Greek immigrants had been before. “It’s just the Muslims’ turn now,” Carland declared. No difference. Really? I come from a migrant family from Europe and my father taught English to Greeks and Italians. I do remember some scorn of “New Australians”, but not that suspicion and even fear that some now clearly feel for a minority of Muslims. And if Australians have simply grown more racist, how come our Buddhists, far more numerous than Muslims and just as exotic, aren’t feeling it, too? Might this difference be better explained by the fact that the Greek Orthodox archbishop never preached jihad, and Italian Catholics didn’t get jailed for plotting to blow up heathens? Yet even that doesn’t explain just why making white Australians scapegoats for Muslim woes no longer cuts it. As I told Carland, she herself once confessed to a strong rejectionist streak among Muslim Australians that might help to explain both Muslim disadvantage and non-Muslim fear. At a Muslim conference two years ago, this Monash University sociologist complained that Muslims bombarded converts like her with demands to give up not only Western culture, Western clothes and “unIslamic” jobs, but non-Muslim family and friends as well. Converts were often made to feel inferior by those born Muslim: “Female converts report being shouted (at), criticised and, worse, simply ignored by both other women and men the first time they nervously enter a mosque.” Tanver Ahmed, a psychiatry registrar, writer and Advertising Standards Board member, has told of growing up in such a culture after moving here as a child from Bangladesh. “What we now call extremism was virtually the norm in the community I grew up in. It was completely normal to view Jews as evil and responsible for the ills of the world. “It was normal to see the liberal society around us as morally corrupt, its stains to be avoided at all costs.” Ahmed blames not non-Muslims for rejecting Muslims, but the other way around. May this be one reason why some Muslims have trouble fitting in, getting accepted, finding work? If so, then how poisonous is it for some to push the myth of a racist Australia, doing down poor Muslims? What petrol are they pouring on the smouldering paranoia of some young Muslims - a sometimes violent sense of victimhood - that is a true source of the fear that Carland so condemns? Source: Herald Sun
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