Monday, October 15, 2007

An Internet Jihad Aims at U.S. Viewers

by Michael Moss and Souad Mekhennet from The NY Times

Mr. Khan, who was born in Saudi Arabia and grew up in Queens, is an unlikely foot soldier in what Al Qaeda calls the “Islamic jihadi media.” He has grown up in middle-class America and wrestles with his worried parents about his religious fervor ... Terrorism experts at West Point say there are as many as 100 English language sites offering militant Islamic views, with Mr. Khan’s — which claims 500 regular readers — among the more active ... One of the most influential sites is Tajdeed, which is based in London and run by Dr. Muhammad Massari, a Saudi physicist and dissident. Over lunch at a McDonald’s near his home, Dr. Massari said Mr. Zarqawi’s insurgent videos from Iraq inspired local productions like Dirty Kuffar, the Arabic word for nonbeliever.

Cables of condolences to Saudi king

from The Gulf Times

Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani has sent a cable of condolences to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, on the death of Prince Khalid bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Saud.
The Emir and his Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani have also sent separate cables to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques containing their condolences.

Ethiopia: Govt Respects, But Local Officials Disregard Rights

from The Jimma Times

According to the latest U.S. Department of State report on freedom of religion, traditional Ethiopian Muslims faced problems from “foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)” with Salafi/Wahhabi Islam backgrounds. While the report praised the government, it continued to criticize local officials and private citizens who “infringed” in this right as well as local administrators who were “implicated in several religious clashes.”

Tribal revolt pushes Pakistan to brink

by Saeed Shah from The Scotsman

In the North West Frontier Province last week, bombs have been placed in record shops and barbers, despised by Islamic extremists who regard music and clean-shaven men as Westernised heresy. They espouse the obscurantist creed of Wahhabi Islam preached by Osama bin Laden ... In the valley of Swat, in the North West Frontier Province, a religious fanatic, Maulana Fazullah, has taken over the area. The police are too afraid to patrol and the local administration has gone into hiding. Pakistani army battalions have been sent to the area but as yet they are still in camp, awaiting instructions to deploy. Fazullah issues decrees over his own FM radio station, and his men have even taken over traffic control duties. Analysts point out that the same Pushtun tribesmen are settled in Karachi, the massive port city in the south of the country.

The Crisis Of Pakistan: A Dangerously Weak State

by Prof. Isaac Kfir from Global Politician

Two sets of Islamists can be identified within Pakistan, though the distinction has blurred with the rise of the Taliban movement. The first group consists of Sunni Islamists who demand that Pakistan exist as a devout Sunni (Deobandi/Wahhabi) Muslim state, such as the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP, Army of the Friends of the Prophet), formed in 1985 ... . The SSP holds that the Shi’a are non-Muslims who have acquired far too much power in Pakistan. The organization boasts 500 offices and branches in all 34 districts of Punjab, with around 100,000 registered workers in Pakistan as well as 17 branches in foreign countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Canada, and the United Kingdom. A second group of Islamists focuses on the imposition of Shari’a and the formation of the Caliphate.

Sayyaf receives new funds; NICA fears attack imminent

from The Associated Press

Abu Sayyaf militants received funds from an unidentified donor after posting an Internet video of the group's founders appealing for money, the Philippine's National Intelligence Coordinating Agency said Sunday. The al-Qaeda-linked group may use the money to finance attacks, and the discovery led intelligence officials to recommend maintaining a high-level alert for October in the southern Mindanao region, said NICA ... Washington has blacklisted the Abu Sayyaf as a terrorist organization. The US Treasury Department last week accused Saudi Arabian Abdul Rahim Al Talhi, an alleged al-Qaeda-affiliated financier and loyal Osama bin Laden colleague, of giving funds to the Abu Sayyaf.

'Pentominium' nominated as 'Best Property in the World' for the prestigious CNBC International Property Awards

from AME Info

As per the industry resources in the past three years, the total value of residential property in developed economies has increased by an estimated $20 trillion, to over $60 trillion, and the value of the real estate projects in the GCC, Iran and Iraq has already crossed $750 billion. This clearly indicates region's contribution to the global property market. In many respects, the Gulf region, especially Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, has seen a real estate boom in the last few years perhaps unparalleled elsewhere in the world.