Unpopular Arab Thoughts That All Arabs Have Thought

Trial set for THIS THURSDAY, keep him in your prayers please!!

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 /Christian Newswire/ — A 14-year-old German boy has decided to undergo a sex change, making him the youngest patient in history to receive this extreme procedure. The young boy Tim, who prefers to be called “Kim,” has wanted gender reassignment surgery since he was 12 and claims to have considered himself female since age two. Concerned Women for America (CWA) is saddened that doctors and parents have fostered this young boy’s gender confusion and are allowing him to go forward with the surgery.

“This poor kid’s situation really undercuts the homosexual lobby’s deceptive equality-fluff and hyperbole,” said Matt Barber, CWA’s Policy Director for Cultural Issues. “It casts a bright light on the truly destructive, bleak and evil nature of the homosexual agenda. Has our world completely lost all sanity? That parents would allow their child to be treated like this is mind-boggling.

“Rather than addressing the emotional or chemical problems responsible for Tim’s gender confusion, his parents and doctors have bought into the homosexual lobby’s PC puffery hook, line and sinker. They’re about to rob him of his ability to father a child, and render him horribly disfigured and further confused. It’s not just a tragedy. It’s a travesty.”

Concerned Women for America is the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization

Would require all parties in Establishment Clause cases to pay their own legal fees
WASHINGTON Jan. 29 /Standard Newswire/ — U.S. Senator Sam Brownback today reintroduced the Public Expressions of Religion Act, which would prevent activist groups from using a 1970s-era civil rights law to recover attorney’s fees when they sue local cities and towns in cases related to public displays of religion and faith.

“It is not fair for taxpayers to pay the legal bills for groups like the ACLU,” said Brownback. “Currently many small towns comply with the demands of the ACLU rather than risk going to trial and paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees to the ACLU if they lose the case.”

Today, legal activist groups recover hundreds of thousands of dollars from state and local governments based on a provision of the 1976 Civil Rights Attorney Fees Awards Act, which was intended to assist underprivileged plaintiffs in obtaining legal representation in civil rights cases. If legal activist groups win a lawsuit related to the Constitution’s Establishment Clause, the 1976 law entitles them to compensation for costs incurred in litigating the case.

Brownback continued, “The legislation I introduced today would still allow plaintiffs with legitimate claims to have their day in court. However, it would prevent local cities and towns from being coerced into settling claims out of a fear of huge monetary losses.”

For example, when several groups won a case in Alabama to remove a Ten Commandments display from the Alabama Supreme Court building, taxpayers were forced to pay the groups’ attorneys nearly $550,000.

The Public Expressions of Religion Act would require parties in Establishment Clause cases to pay their own attorney’s fees.

Brownback is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and is the ranking member on the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights.

Standard Newswire

I was reading over the comments, which I don’t usually have the luxury to do, and came across this comment battle in the post for
Black Converts to Islam are a Joke to the Arab Moslems post from last year, and thought you might be interested in checking it out.

Let it be known that Salib doesn’t necessarily agree with any or all of it, just putting it in front of those who are interested in reading it.

Let it also be known that converts can sometimes be tighter-clinging or more fanatical than people who were brought up with this cult. (To prove to others–and themselves–how “righteous” they are.)

Also, people who spent much of their cognizant life (maybe over 14 or something) in a non-Islamic country (like the US) sometimes feel “Ma2to3een men el shagara” (like a branch torn from the tree) and either don’t know the worse aspects of this perverse “religion”, or else sometimes they can even feel that getting closer to Islam is a way of getting closer to their cultural roots. I have even seen Egyptian Protestants raised in America (rather than Egypt) converting to Coptic Orthodoxy so as to feel closer to their heritage that wasn’t stripped away from when the white man came over to convert the little Egyptians.

I guess we always want what we don’t have, eh?

Peace.
*****************************************************

Jaz Says:
January 22nd, 2007 at 12:01 pm e
I am a white male myself who converted 2 islam and all my arab friends tell me not 2 practice it poorly like the blacks do…damn i wasnt even expectin that comment but it happened and in ways it is true. Most blacks do not practice it right and still act like animals in public and still wear their stupid fitted hats and listen to music that would never be allowed in a islamic society. Most of them convert because they think “Jesus was a white man who had slaves” well since i had converted 2 islam i found out that muhammed had black slaves and said that they were best used as slaves and were automatically satanic. Strange how most of the arabs I know look down upon blacks and i just happened 2 agree with them. For the ones with jobs and do good and play a decent role in society without acting like animals, i dont mind but for ones who sit on their ass all day and glorify tony montana (scarface) need 2 get the fuck out. For the ones who posted above saying theres no prejudice among arab muslims and black muslims is completely lying to themselves, yea maybe some dont feel that way and i never mentioned that ALL arab muslims feel that wa towards blacks but ive met quite a few dedicated arab muslims(young & old) who would be quick to tell you black is bad. Just read about the Darfur crisis going on rite now as we speak, janjawid is an arab militia backed by Osama Bin Laden to enslave the blacks and kill the useless. And what does Osama Bin Laden do? He follows the Quran. so figure it out. stop bein in denial and just face the fact that racism is just not black/white like you thought. To white people readin this post, realize muslims r not the enemy, just radical islam, there is a difference.. I advise 2 stop any hate towards innocent arabs, indians and anyone else who just wants a better life here plz, they r not the ones trashing up this country, realize who is really doin it and creatin music that may be a threat to our kids and family who glorify it. This is not directed 2 all blacks but 2 a good percentage who just complain about this n that, if u dont like it then jus leave. stop tearin this country apart..

Egyptian American Says:
January 25th, 2007 at 3:56 pm e
To Jaz or whatever your name is. You sound like the biggest idiot that I’ve ever heard of in my life. I’m arab! Many arabs who are muslim like myself have utmost respect for muslims of african american decent. My father has traveled all across the world including many muslim countries and he told me the best muslims he ever seen in his entire life was muslims of african american decent! Who represents Islam in the US??? African American Muslims! End of Story! I’m proud to be Muslim! I’m arab, but I’m Muslim first. I don’t know what kind of Muslim you are bringing White racism into islam and saying that muslim arabs taught you that African Americans practice false Islam. I don’t believe you! And if any ignorant Muslim Arab told you this, he or she is shaitan! Just like when my fellow Arab Sunni/Shia fight amongst each other! Or kill innocent people. They’re Shaitan! You’re also shaitan! You are preaching to Non Muslims to turn them against Muslims of African American decent. Don’t say that you’re Muslim. You’re are the biggest Kufr!!!! I don’t know what your intentions are with Islam, but you’re not a Muslim! And you want to speak of Osama, he’s not Muslim!!! He’s the biggest Kufr!!!! African American Muslims make me proud to be Muslim!!!
Al Hamdullah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From Viewpoint. Amazingly enough, they inserted an advertisement for Ginsu Knives between the sections. What are they trying to say, hmmmm??!

Revolt Builds Against Bush’s Iraq Policy
by Jim Lobe

In the first step toward what some believe could eventually
lead to a constitutional crisis, a key Congressional
committee approved a nonbinding resolution here Wednesday
formally dissenting from President George W. Bush’s plan
to send some 21,000 more troops to Iraq.

The 12-9 vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,
which came less than 14 hours after Bush appealed in his
State of the Union address for Congress to give his plan
“a chance to work,” sets the stage for a broader debate
next week when a majority of the full Senate is also
expected to voice its disapproval of the president’s
course, albeit possibly in a somewhat milder form.

Wednesday’s resolution, which drew the backing of all the
Democrats on the Committee, as well as its one Republican
cosponsor, Sen. Chuck Hagel, declared that deepening US
military involvement in Iraq at this time is “not in the
national interest of the United States.”

“It’s an attempt to save the president from making a
significant mistake with regard to our policy in Iraq,”
said the committee’s new chairman and the principal author
of the resolution, Sen. Joseph Biden, who also insisted
that, despite its timing, it was “not an attempt to
embarrass the president (or) to demonstrate (his)
isolation.”

But, less than 24 hours after Bush’s appearance before both
houses of Congress and a glittering array of other top US
officials and the foreign diplomatic corps under the
Capitol dome, most analysts agreed that he probably made
very few, if any, converts and that the Congress, including
a growing number of Republicans, is likely to move over
the coming weeks to try to force a change in US policy.

“We think Congress is going to pass this or a similar
resolution and then move to a vigorous debate over how to
use its powers under the constitution to impose its will,”
said Jim Cason, an analyst at the Friends Committee on
National Legislation (FCNL), an antiwar lobby group.

“What’s driving this in part is that the growing perception
that Bush is clinging stubbornly to a failed policy,
convinced that he’s right and completely unwilling to
consider major alternatives such as the (bipartisan) Iraq
Study Group (ISG) report (that called for a gradual
withdrawal of US combat troops over the next 15 months).
People are getting really angry and worried about that.”

Indeed, mainstream US media coverage of Bush’s State of the
Union address, while careful to balance the critics with
the president’s supporters, underlined the degree to which
support for Iraq policy - already near record-lows -
appears to have plunged even further over the past few
weeks and that opposition to what is called Bush’s “surge”
of troops into Iraq has risen sharply.

This was highlighted Monday when the ranking Republican on
the Senate Armed Services Committee, John Warner, presented
his own bipartisan resolution that, while somewhat softer
in tone than the one approved by the Foreign Relations
Committee, stated flatly that the Senate “disagrees with
the ‘plan’ to augment our forces (in Iraq) by 21,500.”

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“The American G.I. (soldier) was not trained, not sent over
there - certainly not by resolution of this institution -
to be placed in the middle of a fight between the Sunni
and the Shia and the wanton and incomprehensible killing
that’s going on at this time,” Warner, whose ties to the
military brass are perhaps the strongest of any sitting
senator, told reporters in announcing his proposal.

“Mr. President, go back and look at all the options,”
declared Warner in what to most Capitol Hill veterans was
seen as a highly unusual departure from his normal courtly
and aristocratic mien. His candor was evidence of a growing
exasperation that has been coursing through Republican
ranks since the party lost control of Congress in last
November’s elections and particularly over the last two
weeks since he announced his plans to add to the 132,000
US troops already in Iraq.

Indeed, in recent days, public opinion surveys have shown
that confidence in Bush’s handling of Iraq is at record
lows and that his overall approval ratings have reached
their nadir - in some cases within just a few percentage
points of the level former President Richard Nixon reached
just before his resignation. The most recent polls have
also shown that a growing majority has greater confidence
in Congress’ judgment about what to do in Iraq than the
roughly 30 percent who believe the administration can do
a better job.

Biden, Hagel and the other cosponsors of the resolution
approved by the Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday have
made clear that they hope to sit down with Warner and his
cosponsors over the coming week to determine whether they
can come up with a common bill that would command the
broadest possible bipartisan support.

Warner’s resolution, which is more deferential toward
Bush’s war-making powers as “commander-in-chief” than
Biden’s, is also more specific in defining rules of
engagement for US forces in Iraq in ways that would
reduce their role in policing or intervening in sectarian
violence. It also prescribes more specific benchmarks for
the Iraqi government to meet in order to maintain high
levels of US military and economic aid and calls for
Washington to become more engaged in regional efforts to
contain and reduce the ongoing violence in Iraq.

The resolution is indeed based on many of the
recommendations submitted last month by the ISG, whose
co-chairs, former Secretary of State James Baker and
former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton, and other members
have been quietly lobbying Congress since Bush quickly
rejected key parts of their report - notably reducing
the US combat role in Iraq and engaging Syria and Iran
in regional stabilization efforts.

Biden and Hagel have also expressed strong disappointment
at Bush’s failure to embrace the ISG’s recommendations,
so a compromise between the two factions - which together
would command the support of all but one Democrat and at
least a dozen of the Senate’s Republicans - is likely.

As both resolutions are not binding on Bush, who has
already indicated that he will proceed with his “surge”
regardless of what Congress does, however, the big question
here is: what happens after their approval?

Led by Sen. Russell Feingold, a fast-growing minority of
Democrats has said they will back legislation cutting off
all funds for the war if Bush does not heed Congressional
opinion, while others, including several presidential
candidates, such as Biden, Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen.
Barack Obama, say Congress should impose limits on the
number of troops who can be deployed to Iraq or strict
conditions on how and when and for what purposes money
appropriated by Congress can be spent in the war, which
is currently costing the US Treasury roughly eight billion
dollars a month.

While precedents for these kinds of congressional actions
were established in the 1970s and 1980s, the Bush White
House - and particularly Vice President Dick Cheney’s
office - is likely to resist any such constraints on the
grounds that they believe that the president’s power to
wage war as commander-in-chief is virtually unlimited. In
their view, the only way that Congress can legally limit
that power is for it to cut off all funding.

**********************************************************

His trial was postponed again, this time until 1 February. Bail was denied. Bummer.

By Sara Ghorab (01/24/07)
http://saraghorab.wordpress.com

Egyptians have a strong aversion to being compared to animals. Perhaps it’s the centuries of Islamic thought that have made them cringe at the insults “homar,” “hayawan” and “kalb” (donkey, animal, and dog, respectively), but what can you expect from a religion that calls Christians and Jews “apes and pigs”? (And monkeys, for that matter.)

Nonetheless (or perhaps “Having said that,”), I must take the next logical step and proclaim that the Egyptian Government is not only all of these, but that it would have to improve a great deal in order to become worthy of those titles.

That’s right. I just heard what’s been happening to Abdelkareem Nabil Soliman, otherwise known as “The Egyptian Blogger,” and I have to say that I’m about three centimeters from “going postal.”

It’s not enough that the criminals “running” the country allow egregious double standards in order to protect the sick way they do things—oh, you don’t know what I’m talking about?

Well, imagine that you’re a Christian and you kill a Muslim. You get the death penalty.

But if a Muslim kills a Christian, he may not even get a month in jail.

If a Muslim speaks out against Christians, or beats them up, or helps kidnap their girls, he is praised as a true Egyptian or a religious hero.

But if you’re a Christian speaking against Islam, the penalty is stiff.

(Since Islam is “the better religion” and all. Yeah. So better, in fact, that it either allows or does not forbid the mistreatment you’re going to read about here today. And if it doesn’t allow it, then maybe everyone in the government, police, etc. should be charged with not following Islam, kind of like certain people in Egyptian jails were recently asked “Do you fast during Ramadan? Do you pray?” and other such *gems.)

And if you’re a Muslim speaking against Islam, the “religion of peace,” then the penalty is as hard as the floor you get to sleep on, or the lead pipe you might soon feel against the your skull or the backs of your legs.

But you might not know what I’m talking about yet. Don’t worry, you will.

For those of you unfamiliar with Kareem and his case, let me give you a quick rundown:

In late 2005, there were several riots in the neighborhood of Maharram Bey (also spelled “Moharram Bek” and the like) in Alexandria, Egypt.

Four were killed, a nun was stabbed, and thousands of Muslims overtook the streets like rabid cattle, destroying Copt-owned property and businesses, looting and stealing what they could find. (Copts are indigenous Egyptian Christians, by the way).

This was somewhat unprecedented, since anti-Coptic movements, whether targeting property or “illegally-built churches” (don’t ask.. well, ok—you have to get the signature of the governor or president if you want to fix, modify, or build a church, even though Muslims don’t need such high-level approval to do the same for their mosques) or human life had heretofore been restricted (for the most part) to villages in the Saiid, Upper Egypt.

That’s not to say that violence never happened in the more cosmopolitan cities of Cairo (the nation’s capital) or Alexandria (the Mediterranean-lying heaven that Kareem was born and raised in), only that it’s such things as tourism, more exposure to the West, and more people per square inch that likely keep these towns at a less “fighting with the flies on the wall” state of affairs.

Sure, Egypt has never been an easy place for Christians to live, what with the persecution and restrictions and double standards—but all in all, Coptic-Muslim relations aren’t quite as bad as in the villages.

These Maharram Bey riots, however, sparked a string of seemingly Islam-driven events against Christians, including knife attacks in several Alexandria churches.
(I bring Islam into this only because perpetrators were heard yelling “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) as they lunged for their quarry or drove the steel into their victims.)

Kareem, then a 21-year-old law student at Al Azhar, witnessed the riots first-hand, and went on to write an article about it.

Annaqed.com writer Ahmed Salib (www.ahmedsalib.com) says that the article in question was published on October 23, 2005, and methodically went about “condemning the riot, and, indeed, the entire Islamic religion; [Kareem] was subsequently arrested on 26 October 2005 for the inflammatory not-quite-rhetoric, entitled ‘The naked truth about Islam as I saw it in Maharram Beh.’ It first appeared on his blog (in Arabic), but you can read my translation here:
“The Muslims have taken the mask off to show their true hateful face, and they have shown the world that they are at the top of their brutality, inhumanity, and thievery.
They have clearly shown their worst features and have shown that in dealing with others they are not governed by any moral codes.
From what I have seen yesterday of the events at Maharram Beh, which were quite shameful, and have shown me more facts that they have tried to cover over the centuries, they have indicated that Islam is a religion of peace and forgiveness, but their true face has been uncovered to show barbarism and thievery and fanaticism and not acknowledging others, and attempting to remove them from existence.”
(Source: http://www.annaqed.com/english/under/expelled_from_al_azhar_for_exposing_the_truth.html )
He was released soon after, and all was silent.

For a while.

Then, in early 2006, he was expelled from Al Azhar, the most prestigious Islamic University in the world. Several attempts were made on his safety and his life, but he managed to escape every time.

Kareem emailed a friend on October 29th, 2006, saying that he was to be detained in the next few days, and held for questioning. Then he was taken in.

Kareem has been “detained” since early November, awaiting the trial that will determine his release date. At that time, the charges against him included:
· Spreading data and malicious rumors that disrupt public security
· Defaming the President of Egypt
· Incitement to overthrow the regime upon hatred and contempt
· Incitement to hate “Islam” and breach of the public peace standards
· Highlighting inappropriate aspects that harm the reputation of Egypt and spreading them to the public
(Source: http://www.hrinfo.net/en/reports/2006/pr1107.shtml )
Unfortunately for the current Egyptian government, it’s their practices that are inappropriate, not to mention in violation of Articles 18 and 19 of the **Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
And the notion that Kareem harmed the reputation of Egypt is absurd—The government itself is the one guilty of harming the reputation of Egypt!
Do they really think they can abuse their citizens and then ask these victims to hide the crimes that they, Egypt, have carried about against them? It’s a good thing the government is not the one on trial, because they have a real shot at an insanity plea.
But back to Kareem.
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information had this to say about the bogus charges:

“It is noteworthy that the claim no. 6677/2006 filed against Kareem in Mohram Bek Prosecution, Alexandria included arbitrary accusations which are considered to be in violation of the right to freedom of expression; a violation targeting Egyptian writers, intellectuals, and political activists for almost 50 years.”

(Source: http://www.hrinfo.net/en/reports/2006/pr1107.shtml )

Despite the unpopularity of Kareem’s actual thoughts, there are apparently many in the Middle East who nonetheless feel that he should have the right to think them (and write about them), because the following organizations are just some of the ones who got involved with supporting Kareem’s release. Check out who was involved in November:

From Egypt:
1. The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
2. The Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement
3. The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
4. Association for Human Rights Legal Aid
5. Habi Center for Environmental Rights
6. Al-Nadeem Center for Psychological Rehabilitation and Treatment of Victims of Violence
7. Hisham Mubarak Law Center
8. Land Center for Human Rights
9. Shomuu Association for Human Rights and People with Disabilities
10. Egyptian Center for Human Rights
11. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
12. The Civil Observatory of Human Rights
13. Al-Ganob Center for Human Rights

From Bahrain:
14. Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights

(Source: http://www.hrinfo.net/en/reports/2006/pr1111.shtml )

And the number of Kareem supporters (“freedom of speech supporters,” if you think about it) champing at the bit, desperate for information on the impending case has been growing by leaps and bounds.

Well, the trial began last week, on January 18th, although the lawyers have asked for time to review the case, causing the court to re-adjourn on January 25th. Until then, however, the following letter was sent to the Egyptian Minister of Justice:

“Mr. Mamdouh Marei
Egyptian Minister of Justice

Paris, 22 January 2007

Dear Minister,

Reporters Without Borders and the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, organizations that defend freedom of expression, would like to ask you to intercede on behalf of blogger Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman (better known by the name of Kareem Amer), whose trial is due to start on 25 January in Alexandria. Held since 6 November, he faces up to nine years in prison for posting articles critical of Islam on his blog (www.karam903.blogspot.com).

We hope you will follow this case closely and ensure that this young blogger is released soon. The freedom with which Mr. Suleiman expresses himself may cause displeasure, but he must assume responsibility for what he writes, which poses no danger to national security. A prison sentence would therefore bring disgrace on the Egyptian judicial system and sully your country’s image. Particularly because Article 151 of Egyptian Constitution stipulates that any agreement signed and ratified by Egypt becomes part of domestic law and applied like any other legislation. Egypt is a state party to the International Covenant for Civil and Political Right, in which articles 18 and 19 clearly stipulate everyone’s right to freedom of expression, opinion, thought, conscience and religion. Subsequently, no one should ever be imprisoned for a press offence or for the views they express.

We would also like to draw your attention to the harsh conditions in which this young blogger is being held and the worrying state of his health. He has been in solitary confinement for more than two months. This has left him very weak and has affected him psychologically.

We trust you will give this matter your careful consideration.

Respectfully,

Robert Ménard
Secretary-General
Reporters without borders

Gamal Eid
Executive Director
Arabic Network for Human Rights Information”
(Source: http://www.hrinfo.net/en/reports/2007/pr0122.shtml)

It should be noted that despite the spate of Egyptian bloggers’ arrests in the past year, Kareem is the first Egyptian blogger to actually face charges and be tried in court.

In the best-case scenario, the psychopaths that are crazy enough to have taken him into custody will snap out of it and release him pronto.

If that doesn’t happen, then Kareem might be jailed for up to nine years for expressing his not-at-all-radical thoughts.

Keep in mind that he’s being treated badly now, and it’s just supposed to be a detention (meaning he hasn’t even been sentenced yet, meaning this doesn’t even count as jail time. As of now, he’s just “in custody,” illegally, for “punitive reasons,” and because they deem him a “flight risk”).

Reports have said that he’s getting one meal every two days, and his own lawyer said that the young man was severely fatigued and exhausted. Apart from starving him, there’s no telling if the hired thugs/guards have been torturing him or exposing him to sub-human conditions and/or severe sleep deprivation techniques.

Varied accounts have Kareem in solitary confinement as a punishment, as a protection from other prisoners, so that the guards can mistreat him even more than the other prisoners, or even at his own request.

And there’s no telling what could happen if he ends up in jail for months or years (since the guards and other prisoners are, undoubtedly, more into Islam than Kareem is).

And if things go less well… he could get the death penalty. For insulting Mubarak and insulting Islam.

And unfortunately, there are many Egyptians who think Kareem deserves the worst for criticizing a government that cannibalizes the very people it’s supposed to be protecting, and the religion that’s the basis for it.

Too bad these people don’t know Kareem—his kindness, his good heart, his sweet smile, his love of art and foreign film—or realize how he’s an ardent supporter of freedom, liberty, women’s rights, equality, and other values that sane people generally have. (Though I must say that Kareem is enough of a Mensch to fight for the freedom of speech and rights of people whose ideas he disagrees with, and would likely fight for the freedoms of the very people who are happy to diss and dismiss him.)

Too bad these people are so hateful that they could smile upon hearing a verdict of nine years or death, just over a wee bit of (much needed) constructive criticism directed towards a country that’s going down the tubes, and a religion whose basic premises are inequality and violence. (As evidenced by… hmm. This case?)

If that’s all it takes, then “Mubarak is the son of a washer woman, and the prophet is dodging flames with the Marquis de Sade as we speak.”

Yalla, Egyptian Government, come and get me too. But I won’t be the only one.

The streets will be lined with courageous Copts and free-thinkers and moderate Muslims and atheists and Westerners, and you will never be able to arrest us all.

But even if you did, it would be worth it!

It would be an honor to stand with a young man who had enough cajones to not only voice an opinion that may be less-than-popular in Egypt, but to fight for those who have no voice, even if he disagrees with what they’re saying.

Which is more than I can say for some people.

Sara Ghorab
http://saraghorab.wordpress.com

~

* See http://www.hrinfo.net/en/reports/2006/pr1107.shtml for more on the illegal and unethical questioning tactics from the early November interrogation.

** “Article 18 and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948, states:

Article 18: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change religion or belief, the freedom to manifest religion or belief in worship, observance, practice, and teaching either alone or in community with others and in public or private.”

Article 19: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
(Source: http://www.hrinfo.net/en/reports/2006/pr1111.shtml )

BAKERSFIELD, Calif., Jan. 22 /Christian Newswire/ — Phil Walker, President of International Christian Ministries (ICM) recently traveled to three different North Africa and Middle East Countries. In one country he taught leaders from four countries including Iraq. What follows is a plea for help from a Christian brother in Iraq for his family. He and his family are one of the thousands of other believers trapped in an almost impossible situation.

“Tuesday at 3:45 pm, me and my family were about to be killed. An unknown armed people attacked the street where I live and the shops which are beside my house. Thousands and thousands of bullets were randomly shot; no body believed what was going on. We just tried hard to hide somewhere in the house that looked safe. This thing lasted for 30 minutes. We thought we will never see the sun again. After some minutes of silence I opened the door to find 5 bodies in front of my house door. There was more than 12 people killed and 40 injured; some of the cases were very serious. They tried to kill every thing that was moving in the street at those minutes. I and my son John came to our house from the grocery shop, just 15 minutes before. If we were late a little bit there is no doubt that we were killed. More than 20 shops in my neighbors were smashed and some of the owners were killed.

Since Tuesday, I was not able to leave my house. The children are shaken from the fear and don’t want me to leave them. No one is able to go to school. We have had a serious shock. The situation is so bad in these days that more than 500 people were killed and injured during these days because of several attacks and bombings.

Besides all the killing, we have electricity for only one hour a day and it’s so hard to afford for the gasoline for generators. We are spending very hard days and dark cold nights.

Please I ask you and the brothers there to pray for us and for our safety.”

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: M.Sliwa Public Relations, 973-272-2861 or msliwa@msliwa.com

Muslim Convert and Refugee from Lebanon Addresses CAIR Canada’s Campaign of Bias

There is a growing and forceful campaign by CAIR and other Islamist organizations in Canada to silence the free speech of Zachariah Anani by calling for his arrest and deportation. Anani is a Muslim convert to Christianity, former terrorist-militant and refugee from Lebanon. CAIR, an organization which claims to be the voice of moderation, should be embracing Anani’s message against violence and the dangers of extremism instead of mounting a witch hunt against him.

It is no wonder that CAIR is attacking Anani, as it has been documented that many of the leaders of CAIR have openly supported the positions of Hamas, Hizballah and al-Queda – all recognized terrorist organizations.

Recently, Anani spoke on the dangers of radical extremism at a church in Ontario. A backlash ensued, with CAIR and other Islamist groups pressuring political leaders to throw Anani and his family out of the country. Two members of Parliament, and one member of City Council joined the mayor of Windsor in denouncing Anani. None of these political officials, however, attended the lecture or even watched a video of it. The content of Anani’s speech was almost exclusively from passages he read directly from the Koran.

Wally Chafchak, a member of the Windsor Police Services Board and the Windsor Islamic Association, is leading the charge to have Anani arrested. According to Arab American News of Michigan, CAIR Canada is also calling for Anani’s arrest.

In the Criminal Code there is a section that deals with spreading hatred in the community, Chafchak said. This instance should fall under those laws. Justice can only be served if this person is charged.

But Walid Shoebat, a former terrorist from the West Bank, believes silencing Anani is a dangerous trend with far reaching implications for the future of Canadian and eventually US freedoms.

“Incarcerating or deporting a former terrorist who wants to warn the world about extremism will set a dangerous precedence in Canada,” Shoebat says. “Instead of censoring free speech, CAIR should be encouraging Muslims to embrace Canadian culture, as other groups have, and not try to change it in a way that will censor the freedoms Canadians have fought and died for.”

Shoebat believes that CAIR and other Islamist organizations should join Anani in encouraging Muslims to speak out against terrorism and the killing, raping, forced conversion, mutilation and other acts of violence perpetrated by Jihadist groups worldwide against non-Muslims.

On Tuesday, January 30th at 7:00 p.m., Walid Shoebat, Zachariah Anani and Kamal Saleem, all former terrorists, will speak at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

See. http://3xTerrorists.com and http://Shoebat.com

WASHINGTON Jan. 22 /Standard Newswire/ — U.S. Senator Sam Brownback today reintroduced the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act, which would require those who perform abortions on unborn children 20 weeks after fertilization to inform the mother seeking an abortion of the medical evidence that the unborn child feels pain.

“It is a scientific, medical fact that unborn children feel pain,” said Brownback. “We know that unborn children can experience pain based upon anatomical, functional, physiological and behavioral indicators that are correlated with pain in children and adults. Mothers seeking an abortion have the right to know that their unborn children can feel pain.”

The Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act, in addition to informing the mother seeking an abortion of the medical evidence that the unborn child feels pain would also ensure that the mother, if she chooses to continue with the abortion procedure after being given the medical information, has the option of choosing anesthesia for the child, so that the unborn child’s pain is less severe.

The bill, first introduced in the 109th Congress, has 27 co-sponsors.

Brownback continued, “Today, I participated in the 34th annual March for Life, an event which reminds us that every life is worthy of protection, especially the smallest lives. Unborn children do not have a voice, but we nonetheless must recognize that they can feel pain and should be treated with care.”

Brownback is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and chairs the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights.

MEDIA ADVISORY, Jan. 23 /Christian Newswire/ — “Does your church’s website communicate to outsiders as well as to the members?” asks a new web resource. A church site is the congregation’s ’shop window’ to its community. To fulfill this function well, it must be enticing, people- centered and easily understood by outsiders. Unfortunately, many churches are unsure how to achieve this vital mix.

So the Internet Evangelism Day team has just launched an online self-assessment tool. It leads a church through a series of questions, to highlight areas of their website which may need development: www.InternetEvangelismDay.com/design

“I think it will be very helpful to churches,” comments Gene Anderson of Resurrection Lutheran Church, California.

A church site which has been prioritized for non- Christian visitors can be remarkably effective in reaching the community. “Week in, week out, more visitors turn up at our church on a Sunday because of the website, than anything else,” writes one growing church in London UK using these principles.

The Internet Evangelism Day (’IE Day’) website also explains other types of online evangelism, such as outreach sites, video clips, blogging and podcasts. There is even a free ‘conversation starter’ screen- saver to download.

Church Focus Day Increases Awareness

The IE Day team also encourages churches and other groups around the world to hold their own ‘web awareness’ focus day on (or near) 29 April 2007. The IE Day site provides downloadable video clips, drama sketches, posters, handouts and a PowerPoint presentation, making it easy for any church to create its own ‘IE Day’ program. This can as brief as a 2- minute spot within a worship time, or an entire themed church service, seminar, or midweek meeting.

Churches that have already held their own focus day are enthusiastic. “It was a real eye-opener for many,” writes one in Muncie, Indiana. “We held a midweek evening presentation of 90 minutes, for other local churches,” says another from Dawlish UK.

A Canadian church leader comments, “I used a 10- minute presentation that focused on how anyone can get involved in reaching out to the Internet community. I also added a section on using our church website as an evangelism tool, as some of our members have already had great success with it.”

IE Day is supported by a wide range of Christian leaders. “I am glad to commend Internet Evangelism Day,” says John Stott.

Internet Evangelism Day is an initiative of the Internet Evangelism Coalition, an umbrella group of major interdenominational Christian groups involved in Web ministry. IE Day’s purpose is to explain to the worldwide church the potential of the Web for effective proclamation of the Christian Good News by: - a detailed resource website - encouraging churches and other groups to hold an annual web awareness focus day

Interviews available: www.InternetEvangelismDay.com/publicity
Photos available: www.InternetEvangelismDay.com/photos
Recommended photo for this item: www.InternetEvangelismDay.com/churchphoto
Additional articles - ready-made material: www.InternetEvangelismDay.com/articles
Leaders supporting IE Day: www.InternetEvangelismDay.com/supporting

Christian Newswire

PRESS RELEASE

January 23, 2007

Christian Solidarity International
http://www.csi-int.org

Contact: Maria Sliwa, M. Sliwa Public Relations, 973-272-2861

CSI: “An Excellent Example to all Abolitionists”, says Anti-Trafficking Specialist

(AWEIL, Southern Sudan) Last week, 102 Black African slaves were liberated from Baggara Arab masters and returned to their homeland in Southern Sudan in an action supported by Christian Solidarity International (CSI).

Most of the liberated slaves - mainly boys and young men - had been captured by Sudanese government-sponsored Arab militias during two decades of civil war, pitting the Arab-Muslim dominated Government of Sudan against the predominantly Black African Sudan People’s Liberation Front (SPLA).

Interviews reveal a strong pattern of physical and psychological abuse. The overwhelming majority of the liberated slaves had been subjected to beatings, racial and religious insults, forced labor and denial of the freedom to practice any religion other than Islam. Most of the girls and women had been subjected to sexual abuse. Among the slaves were:

16-year-old Agor Deng: Agor was repeatedly raped by her master, Adam Abakir and his associates. Adam Abakir and his wife excised her finger nails with a knife after she failed to obey an order to grind grain. They also forced her, using death threats, to pray like a Muslim.

30-year-old Garang Akot Wiir: Garang’s right arm and leg were partially paralyzed after having been beaten and tied up tightly for 24 hours as punishment for attempting to escape. He was renamed Abdelrazik Ezzadin by his master.

45-year-old Achol Loc Wiel: Achol was shot in her leg during a slave raid. She also lost her husband and three children during the slave raid and forced march to Northern Sudan. Achol was gang raped by her master’s friends. She was also forced to abandon the practice of her Christian faith and pray like a Muslim.

The liberation and documentation of the 102 slaves was the result of cooperation between Arab-Dinka Peace Committees, the civil authorities in Aweil State, local churches and CSI.

The Sudanese Episcopalian priest, Rev. Tito Athian - a longstanding local CSI partner – expressed joy at the liberation and repatriation of the slaves, stating: “Thank you for helping bring back our people from slavery. Now they are free to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ and choose their own religion.”

After witnessing several CSI slave liberation actions, including last week’s, anti-trafficking consultant and author of The Jubilee Prophecy, Aaron Cohen, said: “I have seen first hand, in 23 countries, the positive changes good programs can have in the lives of enslaved people. CSI has created in Sudan a sustainable and effective program which has liberated thousands of slaves, inspired anti-trafficking legislation, and brought hope to people in bondage. CSI’s pioneering work in Sudan is an excellent example to all abolitionists.”

——-
CSI has been in the forefront of the campaign to eradicate slavery in Sudan since 1995, and is commemorating this year the 30th anniversary of its foundation and the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade.

NEW YORK, Jan. 10 /Christian Newswire/ — PEOPLES AND RELIGIONS – A panel discussion at the UN on the occasion of the presentation of the journal Oasis Speeches by Angelo Cardinal Scola, Carl Anderson, Sayyed Hossein Nasr, Israel Singer

“It becomes more evident each day how complex the historical and ecclesiastical predicament is in which we are living. It cannot be defined exhaustibly by the simple categories of conflict between ethnicities, cultures and religions. Together we need to find other dimensions for understanding the expectation which underlies this new mixing of peoples to which the Author of history seems to be calling humanity. If we may be permitted a bold metaphor, we should speak of the inevitable process of a sort of “crossbreeding of civilizations” so that the meeting is not transformed inevitably into conflict.” – H.E. Angelo Cardinal Scola, Patriarch of Venice

On the occasion of the presentation of Oasis, the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the UN and the Oasis Center present the panel discussion PEOPLES AND RELIGIONS. Oasis is the biannual journal of the Oasis International Studies and Research Center (www.cisro.org). It is promoted by Angelo Cardinal Scola (Venice), Philippe Cardinal Barbarin (Lyons), Josip Cardinal Bozanic (Zagreb), Peter Cardinal Erdö (Budapest), Christoph Cardinal Schönborn (Vienna), and by many bishops and exponents of the ecclesial and academic world. An international network of relationships with Christian, Muslim and Jewish personalities is an integral part of the life of Oasis. The review is published in four separate bilingual editions (English- Arabic, English-Urdu, French-Arabic, Italian-Arabic).

Event Details—

WHAT: PEOPLES AND RELIGIONS – A panel discussion at the United Nations on the occasion of the presentation of the journal Oasis in the US

WHEN: Wednesday, January 17th, 2007 at 6:00 pm EST

WHERE: Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, United Nations Visitors’ Entrance, 46th Street & 1st Avenue, New York City

WHO: Speakers will include:
• H.E. Angelo Cardinal SCOLA, Patriarch of Venice
• Mr. Carl A. ANDERSON, Supreme Knight, Knights of Columbus
• Prof. Seyyed Hossein NASR, George Washington University
• Rabbi Israel SINGER, Chairman, Policy Council of the World Jewish Congress

Note: Media planning to attend must call 347-713- 5146 or email press@crossroadsnyc.com by January 12, to pre- register, and must arrive by 5:45pm with photo I.D. For security purposes non-registered media will not be admitted to the event. More information at www.crossroadsnyc.com

Day of Fasting and Prayer Scheduled for Feb. 21
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 10 /Christian Newswire/ — A worldwide movement has been launched to feed the poor, fight injustice and foster peace. Global Fast 2007, the brainchild of a young Harvard graduate, provides a unique opportunity for people of all faiths to unite for a common cause – an international day of fasting and prayer for the benefit of those in need throughout the world.

Global Fast’s “One Day to Change the World” is scheduled for Feb. 21, 2007 – Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent and a traditional time of fasting for many Christians. With the intent of feeding the hungry both physically and spiritually, Global Fast seeks to change the world by creating real spiritual renewal and a huge charitable impact. It is a public challenge to bring together millions of people – of all faiths – for one day of fasting and prayer. On Feb. 21, participants will share their food with the poor and pray for the world. Fasters are asked to donate what money they would have spent on food that day, with the proceeds going directly to the movement’s excellent charity partners.

Eric Lanier, vice president of the newly launched GodSpace.com, said, “The impact that Global Fast can have on the world, both physically and spiritually, shows the true power that exists in uniting Christians through prayer and self sacrifice. This is the power of a unified church at work!”

Fasting is a part of many religions across the world, most notably practiced around the time of Lent, when Jesus committed Himself in prayer to 40 days in the desert without food or water. Historically, nearly all religions recognize the spiritual power of fasting – including Catholics, Jews and Protestants – as well as Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Today, some of the most devoted fasting exists among Evangelical and Pentecostal Christians – who commit themselves or their churches to intense 40-day fasts.

Global Fast connects fasting with charitable giving. It seeks to create a common purpose across denominations, looking to Jesus’ teaching of sacrificial love – giving of ourselves so that others may live. The Hebrew prophet Isaiah taught “true fasting” as not just a day to be hungry, but a day to truly serve others, when he said, “The fast God desires is this – to loosen the chains of injustice, to set the oppressed free, to share your food with the hungry, and provide the poor with shelter.”

Fasting can be defined as simply abstaining from all or some kinds of food or drink. Some faiths today still observe a rigid schedule of fasting on certain days. Other traditions do not place a great emphasis on fasting, but focus more on performing charitable deeds, especially helping those in physical need with food and clothing, or simply the giving of money to charities. Most Christian churches consider fasting as a time of repentance for failures and sin. Fasting can also be a time to seek wisdom, guidance or spiritual growth.

“Fasting is perhaps the most powerful and potent spiritual discipline,” Global Fast Founder Rich Halvorson said. “When we deny our body its physical sustenance, we learn to rely on spiritual food. As Jesus quoted after His 40-day fast, ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ Fasting is a declaration of the power of the Spirit – and an invitation for real spiritual growth. We believe that fasting and prayer can create both individual and international change.”

Through fasting and prayer, people have the power to bring about revival – a significant change in the direction of our nation and countries all over the world. Global Fast 2007 is a means to unite under time and space – February 21, 2007 – to feed the poor, fight injustice and foster peace.

To get involved or learn more about the movement, visit the Global Fast website at www.GF07.com. Other information is also available to media at www.MaximusMG.com/GlobalFast.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 /Christian Newswire/ — When will we Americans get it through our heads that Islamic Terrorists are liars? The Islamic God, Allah, is described by the Koran as “the best of deceivers.”

According to Mr. Walid Shoebat, the teachings of the radical Islamic Religion state that it is acceptable to lie if you are lying to a non-believer. Lying is also acceptable to gain an advantage for the Islamic Religion, to get concessions and allow Islamic terrorists to rebuild their strength.

Shoebat, is a former Islamic terrorist who was thoroughly trained in the Islamic Religion before he moved the U.S. and converted to Christianity in 1993.

Shoebat said there is absolutely no value in talking or negotiating with those who follow the radical Islamic Religion. When it comes to peace agreements, according to their religion, they are not required to follow any agreement made with a non-believer.

“What the American people do not understand is that Islamic people do not think anything like Americans. Islam is not only a religion, but it is a civil code, a code of law and a code for a civilization,” said Shoebat.

“America must come to the realization that you cannot trust anything these radical Islamic followers may say to you. After all, they endorse lying to non- believers,” Shoebat said.

Don Swarthout, President of Christians Reviving America’s Values (CRAVE) said; “I have often wondered why radical Islamic followers seem to lie to us so easily. Mr. Shoebat certainly made that clear to me in his interviews with Pastor John Hagee and with Fox News.”

“Hearing Walid Shoebat say that radical Islamic followers do not have to follow ANY agreement made with a non-believer proves to me that we cannot negotiate with these terrorists and they will lie to us anytime they want to lie to us.”

“I believe that all of America needs to hear this awful truth so that we will understand what we are really fighting against,” Swarthout said.

What is so amazing is that Western nations don’t seem to catch on to this form of deceit. Radical Islamic followers can communicate something with apparent sincerity and have no intention of doing what they have said. They can lie right to your face and then believe it is OK.

Radical Islamic leaders continue to lie to America because they have been so successful in using this tactic for years and years. Yet the West falls for it every time because we truly want peace. At the same time, Islamic terrorists are laughing wildly behind our backs, over the West’s lack of understanding about their deceitful ways.

America must quickly come to their senses and realize that we must stop these Islamic forces from continuing their march toward world domination. If we do not do something quickly, it will be too late.

“We must also wake-up to the fact that America cannot continue to fight with one hand tied behind our backs and survive. America must conduct a real fight against these terrorists, or we will find ourselves being forced to fight a nuclear war against them in the very near future,” Swarthout said.

“It is time for America to fight a real war and to stop this bologna of being so tolerant.” The word tolerance comes from the words to tolerate. When we tolerate something we are putting up with something we disagree with strongly. Where is the value in putting up with something you strongly disagree with?” Swarthout asked.

“I truly hate the idea of an all out war, but if we don’t kill them, they will kill us. Nuclear war maybe our only option if we are going to stop radical Islam’s attempt to take over the world,” Swarthout said.

DC Blogging for Freedom

WASHINGTON, Jan. 11 /Christian Newswire/ — “The NBC and CBS television networks may be rival corporations, but they have one thing in common,” said Douglas R. Scott, Jr., president of Life Decisions International (LDI).” Both networks have allowed programming that blatantly mocks Christianity.”

An episode of “Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” which was taped on January 10, 2007 and aired early this morning, featured a character called “the homophobic country western singer.”

“Our last new character’s heart is in the right place, even if he’s a complete idiot,” said show host O’Brien in his introduction. “Please welcome…the homophobic country western singer.”

A middle-aged man wearing country western clothing comes out from behind a curtain. He begins to play a guitar and sing:

Oh I love you Jesus
But only as a friend.
You touched my heart but I hope
That’s where the touchin’ ends.

You’re always lookin’ over me
When I need a higher power.
But you better look at somethin’ else
When I’m in the shower.

“The idea that anyone would think about the Son of God in this way is simply appalling,” Scott said. “The inferences that permeate the song are utterly disgusting.”

“We wonder if O’Brien’s description of the character as a ‘complete idiot’ is based on the man’s ‘homophobic’ beliefs or if it is because of the inference that Jesus could be sexually interested in seeing the man naked,” Scott said. “I don’t know if the man is a complete idiot, but I do suspect that the writer of the segment is a complete bigot.”

Scott has written a letter to Kevin Reilly, president of NBC Entertainment, objecting to the airing of this material. “I notice the song was not about a Rabbi. I notice the song was not about Buddha. I notice the song was not about Muhammad. If it had been about any of these, the network would surely have disallowed the airing of such garbage,” Scott said in the letter. “But since the song was about Jesus Christ, nothing was done.” Scott’s letter was copied to Mr. Robert C. Wright, chairman & CEO of NBC Universal, which owns NBC Entertainment, as well as Jeffrey R. Immelt, chairman & CEO of General Electric, which owns NBC Universal.

On December 11, 2006, the CBS program “Two and a Half Men” opened with actor Charlie Sheen lighting candles and singing a song to the tune of “Joy to the World” (see press release here: http://www.fightpp.org/show.cfm?page=press&action=display&ID=118 ):

Joy to the world
I’m getting laid
I’m getting laid tonight.
We’ll light the Yule log
Deck the halls
And then we’ll play
Some jingle balls.

It’s been a real long wait
This is our second date
It’s Christmas Eve
And I’m getting laid.

“This is more of the same,” Scott said. “It is not proper to denigrate the beliefs systems of anyone– except those who believe Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God. It is time for Christians to speak out and stop being timid when such things occur. It is time that all people of good will, whether Christian or not, stand up against such bigotry. It is time for this kind of behavior to come to a halt. Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and other groups do not tolerate such prejudice. Christians should not have to do so, either.”

Mr. Kevin Reilly, President, NBC Entertainment, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112; phone: (212) 664-4444

Mr. Robert C. Wright, Chairman & CEO, NBC Universal Inc., 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112; phone: (212) 664-4444

Mr. Jeffrey R. Immelt, Chairman & CEO, General Electric Company, 3135 Easton Turnpike, Fairfield, CT 06828; phone: (203) 373-2211

Before I wish all of you a happy new year, I want to announce that any and all emails that have been sent me in the past 3 months have been erased, and all because I was unable to sign in to Hotmail during that time! So I am sorry if you have not heard back from me. Please re-send any messages you’ve sent.

That said, HAPPY NEW YEAR and GOD BLESS YOU IN THIS NEW YEAR!!
Salib

WASHINGTON Dec. 22–Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released its 2006 list of Washington’s “Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians.” The list, in alphabetical order, includes:

Jack Abramoff, Former Lobbyist – Abramoff is at the center of a massive public corruption investigation by the Department of Justice that, in the end, could involve as many as a dozen members of Congress. Abramoff pleaded guilty to conspiracy, fraud and a host of other charges on January 3, 2006, and was sent to prison in November to serve a five-year, 10-month sentence for defrauding banks of $23 million in Florida in 2000.

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) – In January 2006, Hillary Clinton’s fundraising operation was fined $35,000 by the Federal Election Commission for failing to accurately report more than $700,000 in contributions to Clinton’s Senate 2000 campaign. New information also surfaced in 2006 raising more questions about Hillary and her brother Anthony Rodham’s connection to the Clinton Pardongate scandal, where presidential pardons were allegedly traded in exchange for cash and other favors.

Former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-CA) – In November 2005, Cunningham pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud, and tax evasion. He was sentenced to 8 years, four months in prison and ordered to pay $1.8 million in restitution in March 2006.

Former Rep. Tom Delay (R-TX) – Tom DeLay, who was forced to step down from his position as House Majority Leader and then resign from Congress, decided in 2006 not to run for re-election. Congressman DeLay has been embroiled in a series of scandals from bribery to influence peddling, and was indicted twice by grand juries in Texas.

Former Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) – Foley left the House in disgrace after news broke that he had been sending predatory homosexual emails to a House page. A recent House Ethics Committee report indicated that Republican leaders knew about Foley’s dangerous behavior, but failed to take action. Democrats, meanwhile, shopped the story to the press to influence the elections. Outrageously, the Committee recommended no punishment for those involved.

Rep. Denny Hastert (R-IL) – In addition to mishandling the Foley scandal, outgoing House Speaker Dennis Hastert allowed House ethics process to ground to a halt on his watch. Gary Condit, Cynthia McKinney, William Jefferson, John Conyers, Tom Delay, Duke Cunningham, Jim McDermott, Patrick Kennedy are examples of alleged wrongdoers who faced little-to-no ethics enforcement in the House.

Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) – Hastings is one of only six federal judges to be removed from office through impeachment and has accumulated staggering liabilities ranging from $2,130,006 to $7,350,000. Hastings was “next in line” for Chairmanship of the House Select Committee on Intelligence until a wave of protest forced Nancy Pelosi to select another candidate. Nonetheless, Hastings is expected to continue to serve on the Intelligence Committee.

Rep. William “Dollar Bill” Jefferson (D-LA) – Jefferson is alleged to have accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to help broker high- tech business deals in Nigeria. According to press reports, he was also caught on tape discussing the deals, while an FBI search of his home uncovered $90,000 in cash stuffed in his freezer.

Former Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) – Ohio Republican Congressman Bob Ney resigned in early November 2006, three weeks after pleading guilty for accepting bribes from an Indian casino in exchange for legislative favors. Ney was the first congressman to be convicted of a crime in the web of scandals involving former lobbyist Jack Abramoff and is expected to serve a jail sentence.

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) – Senator Reid came under fire in 2006 for failing to properly report to Congress a $700,000 land deal. Reid also accepted more than $30,000 of Abramoff-tainted money allegedly in return for his ”cooperation” in matters related Nevada Indian gaming.

Dishonorable Mentions include:

Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) – According to complaints released by the House Ethics Committee recently, aides to Representative John Conyers (D- MI) alleged their former boss repeatedly violated House ethics rules, forcing them to serve as his personal servants, valets, and as campaign staff while on the government payroll.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) – In May 2006, Kennedy crashed his car into a Capitol Hill barricade at nearly 3 a.m. in the morning. Kennedy blamed the incident on a reaction to prescription pills, but officers at the scene said he smelled of alcohol. Nonetheless, they escorted him home rather than arresting him.

Former Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) – McKinney assaulted a Capitol Hill police officer in April after refusing to go through a metal detector. While McKinney was never forced to answer in a court of law for her behavior, she lost her bid for re-election in 2006.

Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) – Iraq war critic John Murtha was incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s first choice for House Majority Leader despite the ethical skeletons in his closet. Murtha is an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1980 “Abscam” scandal, which included the arrest and convictions of a senator and six congressmen. Murtha, whose current ethics continue to be questioned, lost his bid for Majority Leader to Maryland Democrat Steny Hoyer.

Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) – News reports surfaced in 2006 that Illinois Senator Barak Obama entered into an unusual land deal with a now- indicted political fundraiser, Tony Rezko. The complicated real estate transaction occurred when it was widely known that Rezko was under federal investigation in a political corruption scandal.

David Safavian, Former Bush Administration Official – Safavian, the former White House Chief of Procurement and former Chief of Staff for the General Services Administration, was indicted on September 19, 2006 on five counts of lying about his dealings with former lobbyist Jack Abramoff and obstructing a Senate investigation of his dealings. Safavian resigned from his White House position three days prior to his arrest.

“This list shows public corruption is endemic to our nation’s capital and that the anti-corruption work of Judicial Watch is needed more than ever,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “The list could be much longer, as there are far too many politicians who abuse the public trust and place themselves above the law.”

Standard Newswire

The following is offered as an opinion from Gary McCullough, the director of the Christian Communication Network, in regard to recent discussions on the criteria to define a religion as peaceful and statements made by Pope Benedict XVI:

Is there not an Arabic version of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Emperor’s New Suit?
“How dare you say Mohammad was violent – I, as a devout and faithful follower of the peaceful religion of Islam, will kill you Christians and destroy your religious sites until your Pope apologizes.” – A hypothetical but apparently accurate position of many Muslims

The actions and teachings of Mohammad were evil and inhumane (my words, not the Holy Father’s). This was recently illustrated by the televised beheading of Nick Berg when one of the murderers put a blade to Berg’s neck and said, “Allah has left us an example in the blessed Prophet with the slow cutting of the prisoners’ necks, and the cutting off of their heads.”

Faithful followers of Mohammad are destine for eternal damnation–and while living out their faith on earth will make life like hell for those whom they are able to impact. Their only salvation is repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord, (yes, the one born of the Jews).

Our Christian desire is that the followers of Islam renounce faith in Mohammad, but not because we wish you death or will punish you. Our desire is out of love for you, even while you wish us harm—even while you do us harm. This offer is made with the unconditional promise that we will never force you to accept our proposition. This position on force is what defines a religion as peaceful. This position on force is what allows Muslims and a multitude of other religions to peacefully coexist with Christians in western countries. When Christians have the rule of law and the majority in a democracy, there is true freedom to worship as you choose.

What we will force upon Islam and its followers is punishment for enforcing Mohammad’s faith or laws upon others. This punishment will be meted out only in a just and measured response.

Such a response of force is not revenge. Such a response is not contrary to peace. It is a response in defense of life and in defense of our families’ and neighbors’ freedom. Individual Christians, as has been demonstrated throughout history, may refuse to defend themselves as a manifestation of God’s love for all—including violent Islamic aggressors. After all, we are commanded to “turn the other cheek.” But as a whole, as nations, and as families, we are not commanded to “turn the other cheek” of our neighbors, our wives, husbands, parents, or children.

A religion should be judged by its fruit. In countries under Islamic rule – violence against individuals who practice other religions is common. In the war raging in southern Sudan – when Islamic forces take control of an area, Christians have been killed when they refuse to convert to Islam and the Christian churches are burned. Yet when control of an area is taken by the southern rebel Christian army, mosques are left standing and Muslims are allowed to continue to practice their faith. I have traveled to Africa and spoken to the soldiers and survivors. This is just one example of what defines a religion as peaceful. This is one more example that defines Islam as a religion of the sword.

To claim Islam is a peaceful religion is a lie of whole cloth similar to the fabric of The Emperor’s New Suit. Perhaps I am naïve as a child, but I am no longer willing to be silent and gawk at Mohammad’s nakedness. – Gary McCullough, director of the Christian Communication Network

Background—

Here is what Pope Benedict XVI said:

“The emperor certainly knew that Sura 2, 256, reads: ‘No force in matters of faith’. It is one of the early suras, from a time — as experts say — in which Mohammed himself was still powerless and threatened.
“However, the emperor of course also knew the requirements about the holy war that were later formulated in the Quran. Without going into details like the handling of the owners of the scriptures, or non-believers, he (the emperor) turned to his interlocutors — in a surprisingly brusque way — with the central question after the relationship between religion and violence.

“He said, I quote, ‘Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.’”

See: http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/ europe/09/15/pope.islam/

Also see: Mohammed, Assassinations, and Beheadings

Also see: Death Threats From Muslim Extremists