Paramilitary training in kindergarten

It happens in Bangladesh. And this man, Shoaib Choudhury, is begging people in the West to speak up against it, to kick up a stink, to tell one more person.

Regular readers of this blog might recall me talking about Choudhury about a year ago, when he was in prison in Bangladesh, having dared suggest that his country should recognize Israel. He is now free in the West because of political pressure but amazingly has every intention of returning to his country to face trial.

"Islam is not a bad religion," Choudhury said, "but it is now in the hands of criminals and terrorists." And silence, he said -- silence from the West -- is what they want. Silence about the 9,000 kindergarten Madrassas in Bangladesh that include paramilitary training in their curriculum. About the 64,000 Koranic madrassas, heavily funded by Saudi Arabia, that are not accountable to authorities, where hatred for Israel, Jews and Christians is built into the school day; about the way the most beautiful young women are selected, educated, trained, given every advantage -- then sent to the West, as terrorists, to await their orders to act.

Read about his recent meeting with high school students to motivate them to become activists at True Ancestor (hat tip to Amba at Ambivablog). Further references are provided there.

Tell one more person.

Technorati tags: Shoiab Choudhury, Bangladesh, Islam

Gleanings from the blogosphere, Oct. 18

Alan at Maverick Views presents a very good argument why the Democrats' rising star Barack Obama should NOT aim for the presidency in 2008.


Greg at Sippican Cottage is holding forth on the follies committed in the name of business. He has administrators nailed cold.

These gentlemen thought that the building of large and complicated things out in the landscape from Canada to Florida and Martha's Vineyard to Sausalito existed simply to give them figures to Rubik around on their desktop. They did not realize that they existed to support the actual operation. They thought they were the actual operation. Everyone in the government makes this same mistake, 25 hours a day, 11 days a week, by the way. A quarter of a billion dollars was going through that business a year. Very few of my colleagues had ever seen one bit of it generated.

John Burgess at Crossroads Arabia has an interesting round-up of opinions and reactions to the veil debate currently going on in the UK, as a result of Jack Straw's remarks.

Technorati tags: Jack Straw, Barack Obama

Gleanings from the blogosphere, Oct. 14

Islamic scholars are taking up the Pope's challenge and engaging in interfaith dialogue, reports Ed Morrissey at Captain's Quarters. Their response to the Pope will be delivered Sunday, but it is already available online. It's a small start, but it's a start. As you can read in the Bible, "Do not despise the day of small beginnings."

Continuing the Islamic theme, John Burgess at Crossroads Arabia tells us the Saudi government has set up an English/Arabic website with the express purpose of combatting Muslim extremism.

A moderate Muslim journalist, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, is literally running for his life in Bangladesh. Reader_iam at Done With Mirrors brings us up-to-date on his situation, with more than a note of despair.

Technorati tags: Salah Choudhury

I have been carnivalized

That's carnivalized, not caramelized. And for the very first time, too.

Ali Eteraz is hosting the current Carnival of Islam in the West, and saw fit to include my earlier post on the Muslim moles in the Toronto terrorist cell. Thanks, Ali. If the uneasy relationship between Islam and the West interests you, and you'd like a glimpse of it through (mostly) Muslim eyes, click on over and browse through the articles he offers.

And for those who haven't encountered the term before, a blog carnival is a catalogue of selected recent posts on a specific topic, compiled by enthusiasts, and usually hosted on different blogs on a rotating basis.

Technorati tags: Carnival of Islam in the West, Ali Eteraz

Second Muslim mole helped foil bomb plot

We now find out that there was not one, but two Muslim moles working within the terrorist cell that was planning attacks in Toronto. The first, Mubin Shaikh, seen at fight, came to public attention about a month after the arrests.

The existence of the second, who is now in a witness protection programme and whose identity will not be revealed, was reported today by the CBC.

However, the CBC has learned that he played a key role in the investigation that led to dramatic raids in the Toronto area in June.

"He really felt, as a loyal Muslim Canadian, like he owed Canada something, to give back to it," said a close friend and former business associate who, for security reasons, can't be named. "And it's not surprising to see that he did that for the cause of Canada."

The mole, a young agricultural engineer, apparently provided key evidence to investigators and will be an important Crown witness when the matter comes to trial.

This is exactly what many Canadians have been calling for: members of the Muslim community who will put their loyalty to Canada and the protection of innocents ahead of any sympathies with misguided co-religionists. I suppose it won't carry much weight with those who are determined to hate all Muslims and to see them all as terrorists, but it should. These men didn't just talk the talk, they walked the walk.

And if terrorism is to be defeated in the West, this is the kind of collaboration that is absolutely essential. The Muslim community itself is our first line of defence.

Technorati tags: Mubin Shaikh, Toronto terrorists

Controversy in the Kingdom

There is quite a debate raging in Saudi Arabia. A popular TV show, Tash Ma Tash, lampooned terrorists in a recent episode and they've stirred up quite a hornet's nest. Fundamentalists are praying for the deaths or the repentance of the actors - depending on their degree of rage, I suppose - while others are rushing to their defence.

From condemnation, to qualified support, to clear approval, these reactions demonstrate that the show has achieved its goal of getting people talking about the status of social and cultural issues that are often confusedly seen as "religion".
...
Something noteworthy: The Saudi government has not taken any action to stop the broadcast of this controversial program.

You can read all about it here and here and here at Crossroads Arabia, where John Burgess, an Arabist of considerable real experience, keeps a daily watch on Saudi Arabia and provides a much more fleshed-out, knowledgeable view than you'll find anywhere in the Western media. Any Westerner who wants to gain some insight into the country at the heart of Islam should make this blog part of their daily reading.

Technorati tags: Tash Ma Tash, John Burgess

Muslim super heroes

John Burgess at Crossroads Arabia reports on a Muslim comic book series that has super heroes that impersonate the 99 attributes of God in Islam and has now received crucial financial backing necessary to launch an animated TV series.

It's interesting to note that one of the motivations for Al-Mutawa to create this series was his observation that Hamas was selling stickers of suicide bombers to children. He believed a strong alternative was necessary.

Technorati tags: The 99, Al-Mutawa

Gleanings from the blogosphere, Sept. 29

Glenn Greenwald has a post today that I find somewhat overwrought. In the midst of all the florid prose though, he made a valid point.

And to believe that people on a one-day controlled visit get an accurate or complete picture of what goes on there requires a blind faith in the Government so absolute that it is explains most of what one needs to know about the authoritarian Bush movement. (Emphasis mine)

American democracy is based on a healthy mistrust of government and those who run it; hence the system of checks and balances. My concern with the recent detainee bill, among others, is that it puts too much power in the hands of the Executive Branch, with insufficient accountability.


From City of Brass: CAIR is sending money to Palestine to repair the churches damaged in the aftermath of the Pope's speech. There is no more effective way to disavow the actions of Muslim crazies than that.

Technorati tags: Detainee bill, CAIR

Gleanings from the blogosphere, Sept. 22

Steve Janke at Angry in the Great White North is on a bit of a roll today. He has caught the NDP in a flagrant misprepresentation of President Karzai's opinion of Canadian military operations in Afghanistan, which they have ironically titled Reality Check. This one is downright slimy.

The Anchoress assesses the Day of Rage that ended with more of a whimper than a bang and sees some cause for hope.

Steve Janke at Angry in the Great White North posts about a "scary native leader," and commenter Sandra informs him that Chief Louie is not at all uncommon in British Columbia.

John Burgess at Crossroads Arabia links to one of the thoughtful Muslim responses to Pope Benedict's recent lecture in Regensburg. Amir Taheri first takes issue with the violent reactions to the speech and then takes issue with the speech itself, debating its points in an academic manner.

Reader_iam at Done With Mirrors highlights the case of a Bangladeshi journalist, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, who may soon pay with his life for his calls for tolerance and understanding between different faiths, most notably with Jews. She is particularly incensed that no one in the West seems to be picking up his cause.

Technorati tags: Pope Benedict, Choudhury, NDP

Gleanings from the blogosphere, Sept. 19

Aisha at Eteraz has a very interesting post on the opposition to terrorism in the Middle East, fatwas against it by Muslim clerics, and the not-so-powerful voice of Sharia law. A definite read if you were labouring under the impression that Muslims have not been speaking up against terrorism.


Paul D. Kretkowski at Beacon comments on China's generosity toward its neighbours. China is apparently building infrastructure in neighbouring countries. Kretkowski suggests that accepting this generosity could come back to bite them in the butt. Maybe sometimes it's a better idea to look a gift horse in the mouth.


Steve Janke at Angry in the Great White North is arguing, somewhat humorously, that the Harper government is not firing Guy Fournier as head of the CBC after some rather bizarre and unprofessional behaviour, precisely because it suits their purposes to have the CBC discredited. Sometimes I think the Conservatives are taking deviousness to new levels, but I am more often amused than horrified. Hoist 'em on their own petard!
[Update] Guy Fournier has now resigned.


Iraqi blogger Mohammed at Iraq the Model is bemoaning the violent reaction of Muslims to the Pope's speech and outlines Islam's history of spreading the faith by the sword. He puts the blame squarely on Muslim clerics.

Some accuse the pope of bad timing but I wonder what is going to be the best time to accept criticism and accept questions? Next year? a decade from now? When?

There will no be such time for our clerics who derive their power from this history, and to them, questioning or criticizing this history is a threat to their holiness and power.

Technorati tags: Guy Fournier, Pope Benedict

Gleanings from the blogosphere, Sep. 15

The Anchoress delivers an inspiring eulogy to Oriana Fallaci, who "embodied all that leftism was", and a blistering attack on Rosie O'Donnell who embodies "all it has become". If any of you are wondering "Why Rosie?" this is in response to her assertion on The View that "radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam." She was roundly applauded, although the other hosts, to do them credit, refused to buy it. The Anchoress does a good job of tearing apart that assertion, so I'll leave it to her. Although I will add that Rosie jumped from one sentence to the other from "radical Christianity" to the bombing of innocents in Iraq, as if there were a direct, causal relationship.

When you need a break from weighty issues, Bits and Pieces will serve you up humourous, whimsical or just awe-inspiring tidbits from all over the Net. Today's offerings include Fork Art, a trip through the universe, and "One Little Mistake":

A woman, standing nude, looks in the bedroom mirror and says to her husband, "I feel horrible, I look fat and ugly. Pay me a compliment".

The husband replies, "Your eyesight's damn near perfect".

He never heard the shot.

Technorati tags: Rosie O'Donnell, Oriana Fallaci

Gleanings from the blogosphere, Sep. 14

William Weston at the Gruntled Center cites a British study that showed a stark difference in the number of parental break-ups after the birth of a child, depending on the marital status.

Married couples divorcing: 6%
Cohabiting couples breaking up: 32%
"Closely involved" fathers disappearing: 74%

It would appear that marriage is more than a piece of paper... Hat tip to Booker Rising.


Ed Morrissey at Captain's Quarters is talking about how Nasrallah's stock has sunk considerably in Lebanon and the Arab world. I can only hope that he's absolutely right.


Aisha who has taken over for Ali at Eteraz shows herself to be more than up to the task. Today, she meditates on atheism as a religion, the Koran as a historical document or the Word of God and religions as social constructs. I can't say that I agree with everything she says, but she has good things to say and she says them well. And they are well worth meditating on.

Technorati tags: Nasrallah

Gleanings from the blogosphere, Sep. 8

Alan Stewart Carl at Maverick Views is in some despair, as he fears that "9/11 has not changed us enough".

Camassia is arguing that it doesn't really matter if Islam is a good religion or not. The only question that matters is: is it true? She obviously knows on which side of the question of absolute truth she comes down on.

Weekend Fisher continues to impress me with her uncommon moral clarity as she brings her series on ethics and violence to a close with an examination of the concept of "just war". I particularly liked this quote:

Complaints against evil are commonly one-sided. Ironically, they are commonly one-sided against the less dangerous, less evil side, and for very practical reasons, some of them even reasonable ones. At best, we tend to criticize the more peaceable party because they are more likely to be reasonable, to listen, and to value peace. At worst, we are more likely to criticize the more peaceable party because they are less likely to attack or kill us for criticizing them. While no balanced approach to evil would lead us to protest mainly against the party less likely to kill us (i.e. the less dangerous and less evil party), that is still often how it works out. If we have not confronted evil on both sides, despite the risks, then we have not done our part in consistently standing up for what is good and right.

Wanted—A Petition to Support Muslim Democrats

Joseph N. Kickasola, professor of International policy at Regent University, issued a call yesterday - directed most especially at evangelical Christians - to support Muslims democrats. He is uncomfortable with a call to sign a petition to support Israel issued recently by American Jewish organizations and some Christian broadcast media, because it leaves Muslim democrats out of the picture, which he argues is discouraging to them. In essence, he is protesting against a them/us mentality which puts all Christians and Jews on one side, and all Muslims on the other.

What most of my fellow evangelical Christians do not realize is that the clash between Islam and the West is due largely to the clash within Islam. This is at least a clash between Sunni and Shi’a, as the sectarian conflict between them in Iraq shows. But as the Shi’ite and Sunni groups in Lebanon coalesce for the annihilation of Israel, it shows that a much deeper and more generative clash exists within both the Sunni and Shi’ite communities, namely the clash between Muslim democrats and theocrats, moderates and militants, modernity and tradition, and, ultimately, between the national rule of law and the universal rule of sharia—the coercive quest of Islamic extremists.

He finds this clash even in different translations and commentaries of the Koran.

There are many peace verses and war verses in the Koran, and the democrats interpret the war verses in light of the peace verses, but the anti-democrats interpret the peace verses in the light of the war verses.

He argues finally that the Muslim democrats are the only ones that can lead the Muslim world into modernity and away from extremism and should therefore get our explicit, stated support. Please check out the entire text. He provides a link to a Muslim Washington think tank and to a paper he presented earlier this year on this clash in Islam.

I'm not too sure how useful a petition would be, apart from providing a bit of a morale boost and hopefully raising awareness in Western democracies of potential allies in the Muslim world. When you stop to think of it, those are not unworthy goals.

So how would YOU word such a petition?

Gleanings from the blogosphere, Aug. 15

Thomas Sowell has some interesting thoughts on discrimination and gay marriage. He contends that laws exist precisely to discriminate against certain actions. And that the laws on marriage are a restriction of individuals' rights, not an expansion of rights to be aspired to. Some very tight, interesting reasoning here. Hat tip to Booker Rising.

Eteraz makes a plea for a "regular Islam", distinguishing between theological Islam, with which he has no argument, and social Islam, about which he has plenty to say.

Previous post on the topic of Homosexuality

Technorati tags: Marriage, Discrimination, Islam