By Bill Levinson

Cartoons appear below. Militant “Islam’s” response to Pope Benedict: “Don’t call my religion violent or I’ll cut your head off!”

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

When the cat’s away, the mice play? Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was in New York when rebels ousted him from power. Er, ah, at least they’re polite rebels. From the AP:

“The armed forces commander and the national police commander have successfully taken over Bangkok and the surrounding area in order to maintain peace and order. There has been no struggle,” the announcement said. “We ask for the cooperation of the public and ask your pardon for the inconvenience.”

Were they playing elevator music during this public service announcement?

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by Daniel Pipes
New York Sun*
September 19, 2006
http://www.danielpipes.org/article/3968
* Cross-posted with permission

“Show me just what Muhammad 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.”

These words, expressed six centuries ago by a Byzantine emperor, Manuel II Paleologus, in dialogue with an Iranian scholar, spur three reflections.

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Interview with Daniel Pipes
CNN Headline News: Glenn Beck Show*
September 12, 2006
http://www.danielpipes.org/article/3961
* Cross-posted with permission

GLENN BECK, HOST: Coming up, the real story behind the president‘s speech last night, and award winning actor Brian Dennehy will be here. I want to ask him how out of touch is Hollywood with the rest of America. That‘s coming up next.

ANNOUNCER: Tonight‘s episode is brought to you by the 2006 elections. If you want everything you care about to be turned into pabulum by self- serving yahoos, follow the 2006 elections.

BECK: Let‘s be honest with each other. We live in a country now where people don‘t say what they‘re really thinking. I‘m going to try to do that every night. Regarding President Bush‘s speech last night, here‘s what people are saying: “He‘s just trying to politicize 9/11 just to justify the war in Iraq.” Well, here‘s what I‘m thinking: “Shut up. Stop playing politics.”

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

With Sunnis and Shiites hell-bent on annihilating each other in Iraq, it is a wonder there was some good news today. Can we believe it? From the AP:

In a positive development for Iraq’s leaders, predominantly Sunni Arab tribes in a volatile western province have joined to fight insurgents in the region and want the government and the U.S.-led coalition to supply them with weapons, a tribal leader said.

Tribal leaders and clerics in Ramadi, capital of violent Anbar province, met last week and set up a force of about 20,000 men “ready to purge the city of these infidels,” Sheik Fassal al-Guood, a tribal leader from Ramadi, told The Associated Press.

“People are fed up with the acts of those criminals who take Islam as a cover for their crimes,” he said. “The situation in the province is unbearable, the city is abandoned, most of the families have fled the city and all services are poor.”

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

Here’s a riddle: The Sunnis want to slit our throats. The Shiites want to slit our throats. The Sunnis and Shiites want to slit each other’s throats. Who’ll be left?

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

As if I need to point this out, but Iran’s “Supreme Leader,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is in dire need of a history lesson (and removal from power). Today, he educated us: The Pope’s elucidation that Islam has a problem with violence is… the Jews’ fault. He’s straightened us out: The Jews and Crusaders are one and the same (even though the Jews were targets of the Crusaders). From AFP:

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has blamed a US-Israeli conspiracy aiming to sow conflict between religions for remarks by the Pope Benedict XVI on Islam and violence that unleashed a wave of anger across the Muslim world.

Khamenei said the comments were part of the same conspiracy that started with the US invasion of Iraq and has been hatched by great powers intent on creating crises between religions to “pursue their evil objectives”.

“Leaders of the arrogant imperialists have already defined the links of the chain in this US-Zionist project by attacking Iraq,” Khamenei said in comments broadcast on state television.

“The issue of the insulting cartoons and remarks of some politicians about Islam are different links in the conspiracy of the Crusaders, and the pope’s remarks are the latest links in this,” he added.

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

The Pope has proved the point he was trying to make, that Islam has a problem with violence, and that there’s nothing holy about holy war (jihad). Over the weekend, Muslim “militants” shot a Catholic nun 4 times in the back in Somalia; Islamic “minutemen” attacked/torched 7 churches in the West Bank. Here’s more proof, from the AP:

Al-Qaida in Iraq warned Pope Benedict XVI on Monday that its war against Christianity and the West will go on until Islam takes over the world, and Iran’s supreme leader called for more protests over the pontiff’s remarks on Islam.

Protests broke out in South Asia and Indonesia, with angry Muslims saying Benedict’s statement of regret a day earlier did not go far enough. In southern Iraq, demonstrators carrying black flags burned an effigy of the pope. …

Islam forbids drinking alcohol and requires non-Muslims to pay the “jizya” tax, though those who convert are exempt. The tax, sometimes called a head tax, has not been imposed in Muslim nations in about 100 years, though Islamic militant groups have tried to force non-Muslims to pay it on a local level in some countries.

“You infidels and despots, we will continue our jihad (holy war) and never stop until God avails us to chop your necks and raise the fluttering banner of monotheism, when God’s rule is established governing all people and nations,” said the statement by the Mujahedeen Shura Council, an umbrella organization of Sunni Arab extremist groups in Iraq.

Al-Qaida in Iraq said Muslims would be victorious and addressed the pope as “the worshipper of the cross” saying “you and the West are doomed as you can see from the defeat in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya and elsewhere. … We will break up the cross, spill the liquor and impose the ‘jizya’ tax, then the only thing acceptable is a conversion (to Islam) or (being killed by) the sword.”

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

Are Europeans finally getting it? My, how comfortable things get when you have the U.S. protecting you militarily — and economically through trade. Europe is on the verge of taxing itself out of existence, submitting to Islamo-fascism, and breeding a generation which expects government handouts and/or guaranteed lifetime employment. The Swedes just ousted a welfare-state party in favor of a “center-right alliance.” From Reuters:

A Center-right alliance led by Moderate Party leader Fredrik Reinfeldt won power in Sweden in an election on Sunday, ending 12 years of Social Democrat rule by vowing to lower taxes and trim the welfare state.

Reinfeldt, who will be the next prime minister, declared victory in a tight election. Social Democrat Prime Minister Goran Persson, one of Europe’s longest-serving leaders, conceded defeat after 10 years in office and will quit as party chief. …

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

Muslims are reacting with violence because the Pope accused them of using violence. So what did the Pope do? He apologized in the weakest terms possible:

I hope this serves to appease hearts and to clarify the true meaning of my address.

Appease? Oy. Get ready for even more violence.

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Homa Arjomand calls Press Conference at Queen’s Park, Toronto, on Monday September 18, 2:00 pm

Homa Arjomand, Coordinator of the International Campaign Against Sharia Court in Canada is calling a press conference where she and other Iranian activists will demand the arrest of President Ahmadinejad for crimes against humanity.

“We declare that President Ahmadinejad has violated Articles 9, 10, 11 and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”, said Homa Arjomand. “We therefore call on the United Nations to arrest President Ahmadinejad for violating human rights in Iran”.

The protestors claim President Ahmadinejad is responsible for the assassinations and executions of tens of Iranian activists both in Iran and abroad.

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by Daniel Pipes
DanielPipes.org*
September 16, 2006
http://www.danielpipes.org/article/3967
* Cross-posted with permission

Oriana Fallaci died yesterday, September 15, in Florence, Italy.

In her memory, I offer an introduction to Ms Fallaci that I delivered, at her request, on November 28, 2005, at a Center for the Study of Popular Culture event honoring her, chaired by David Horowitz. Her talk that evening, at the 3 West Club in New York City, was latterly incorporated in her book, The Force of Reason. I believe this was her final public appearance.

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

Muslim “militants” today shot a Catholic nun 4 times in the back in Somalia. Yesterday and today, Islamic “minutemen” attacked/torched 7 churches in the West Bank, where Christians make up a tiny minority of the Palestinian population. Such “bravery:” plugging an old woman in the back and desecrating the holy places of minority groups. All because the Pope ended a recent speech in Germany with a “clear and radical rejection of the religious motivation for violence, from whatever side it may come.” How were the nun and churches related to the Pope’s speech — collectively, that is?

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

Palestinian and Muslim madness. Because the Pope ended a recent speech in Germany with a “clear and radical rejection of the religious motivation for violence, from whatever side it may come,” presumably Palestinian Muslims have attacked 5 churches in the West Bank, “and a group claiming responsibility said it was protesting Benedict’s words.” Protest? Punishing Palestinian Christians for something the Pope said? As usual, we are seeing a violent, Danish-cartoon-like Muslim reaction. A violent reaction by people angry about being accused of using violence. Makes sense? And the Pope ain’t Catholic.

The Pope has rightfully criticized Muslim violence. Is there any doubt Islam has a problem? Look at Iraq, where Shiites and Sunnis are busy killing each other by the thousands. Is this the Pope’s fault? Benedict has yet to apologize for “insulting” Islam. Hopefully he will not. An apology would show weakness that the West cannot afford to display. If the Western world is truly committed to civilized society, then it must prove so in both words and deeds.

Is it any wonder that, “Christians make up a small — and dwindling — minority of several tens of thousands among the more than 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem?” Moving to Israel, anyone?

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9 of 12 Action Forum members agree, “By blaming Hitler you don’t have to face the truth.”
by Bill Levinson

It is truly amazing what you find when you turn a rock over and expose what is underneath to the light of day. Remember, MoveOn.org’s Eli Pariser assured the Anti-Defamation League that this kind of thing was removed from the Action Forum. Meanwhile, the American Spectator has tied Pennsylvania’s Bob Casey (D-PA), a purported moderate Democrat, to this reprehensible organization.

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