Hate Crime or Protest?

There was a great debate tonight on CNN regarding Stanley Smulevich being charged with hate crimes in New York for his vulgar protest involving two Korans at Pace University. Paula Zahn interviews Christopher Hitchens, and Ibrahim Hooper of CAIR (Council of American-Islamic Relations). There’s also a guest cameo of Dennis Prager discussing Islamophobia, which CAIR would have you believe that America is rampant with.

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Mission to Mars Launches in August

The University of Arizona is set to launch an exploratory probe to Mars to search for signs of life, and to see if organic compounds and water exist near the surface. The Phoenix mission lifts off in August, and the vid clip below details the mission and purpose.

The University of Arizona is set to launch an exploratory probe to Mars to search for signs of life, and to see if organic compounds and water exist near the surface. The Phoenix mission lifts off in August, and the vid clip below details the mission and purpose.

Truth in Iran is Punishable by Death

In Iran, they don’t just shut down your paper or station — they put you to death under Sharia law. Truth in Iran is a crime punishable by death.

A few weeks back in Pakistan there were mass demonstrations against muzzling of the press by PEMRA ammendments which were quickly backed out of the law by the government when they saw that people were unhappy. In Iran, they don’t just shut down your paper or station — they put you to death under Sharia law. Truth in Iran is a crime punishable by death. Story at Fox news:

TEHRAN, Iran  —  The Iranian judiciary confirmed that two journalist from the country’s Kurdish minority have been sentenced to death, a rare verdict against media people here, the official Iranian news agency reported on Tuesday.
Adnan Hassanpour and Hiva Boutimar have been sentenced to execution on the charge of Moharebeh,” the agency quoted Ali Reza Jamshidi, spokesman of judiciary, as saying. Moharebeh, which literally means “fighting” in classical Arabic, is used in Iran’s Sharia law to describe a major crime against the religion and the Islamic state.

The official new agency did not specify what crime the two Kurdish journalists were precisely accused of.

Pakistan Update

Political Front 

There’s a lot of speculation over Musharraf and whether, how, and when he will lose his uniform. My prediction: He will lose his uniform when he decides, which will be after the campaign in the frontiers that is inevitable now, but before full elections.

Some think he will be re-elected by current assembly in-uniform, and that there will be an interim PM, that remains to be seen. These could be ideas floated to see how popular or unpopular they would be. The Benazir Bhutto / Musharraf deal seems to have dug the holes and inserted the goal posts, but they aren’t quite to pouring the concrete yet.

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Al Qaeda Split Graduates From Blogs to Media

The media has finally noticed the schisms within Al Qaeda, as new evidence of in-fighting hits the press:

Lahore, July 30 : A split has apparently surfaced within the al Qaeda over what strategy to adopt as retaliation to the Pakistan Army’s crackdown on the Lal Masjid.

According to the Sunday Telegraph, one faction favours retaliation, while the other believes that further strikes could force the Pakistan Army to attack their safe havens in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

Radical Pakistani Islamists allied to the al Qaeda have revealed that Osama Bin Laden’s deputy, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, wants retaliatory attacks on Pakistani targets. Some other senior figures within the group are, however, “alarmed” that Zawahiri’s mission to topple and kill President Pervez Musharraf could provoke a military backlash.

A rival “Libyan faction”, led by Abu Yahya Al-Libi, an escapee from the US Bagram base near Kabul, apparently suspects Al-Zawahiri of trying “to position himself as Bin Laden’s heir” with this “crusade,” the Daily Times reported.

US intelligence operatives involved in the hunt for bin Laden have confirmed the reports of this rift from senior Pakistani jihadi sources.

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Be CAIRful What You Ask For

Regardless, the precedent set by this will in my prediction be little to CAIR’s liking — Stan will find stalwart support, and will be defended. If the suit carries onward then this could go as high as the Supreme Court, but in the end freedom of speech will win over hate crime since nobody was harmed here.

Stan Smulevich has been charged with two felonies; he’s accused of tossing two Korans in a toilet at Pace University in New York on separate occasions. According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Student Association (MSA) these acts constitute hate crimes, and they have lobbied the authorities in New York to charge them as such. The authorities complied.

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Musharraf and Bhutto: Pakistan United?

The clear thing is that you can’t show a strong hand if you aren’t supported politically, and Musharraf has carefully walked the razor’s edge for years now.

musharraf_pervez_pakistan.jpgbenazir-bhutto2.jpgIn an sweeping deal that enables great change and return to civilian rule President Musharraf and ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto have joined in a coalition of PPP and PML-Q parties, which combines the centrist groups of Pakistani politics.

The parties will work together to create an ammendment to the constitution that will allow Bhutto to serve a third term as Prime Minister, and from what Bhutto is saying, Musharraf will remove the Uniform as part of the deal.

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Ramchand Pakistani

While the film is unlikely to be as wildly popular in Pakistan as KhudaKayLiye, it will break the ice on a controversial subject — the policy of each country of detaining each others citizens for eternities after they cross borders illegally.

nandita-das.jpgNandita Das, an Indian actress, will portray the mother of a Pakistani boy in the upcoming movie “Ramchand Pakistani.” Nandita is a great actress and is known for playing in controversial films, as this film promises to be, but it would have been better if they had picked a Pakistani actress for the part.

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Lal Masjid Update – Demonstrations Interupt Friday Prayers

The terrorist sympathizing student followers of Ayman Al Zawahiri interupted Friday prayers at Lal Masjid and would not let them proceed. They scrawled graffitti on the walls, and female students tried sneaking in. The only thing they didn’t do was march around the Mosque chanting “Zawahiri Akbar!” Like all “holier-than-thou” Wahabbists they think all other Muslims are Takfir, and ok to beat, spit-on, behead, or profane their mosques by rudely interupting prayers. In reality they are intolerant religious bigots who would tear Pakistan apart for the bidding of an evil Egyptian. Continue reading “Lal Masjid Update – Demonstrations Interupt Friday Prayers”