It seems it was not enough what the Wahabis did since they hijacked Islam and Saudi Arabia, but also they continue to be the source of most of the mayhem across the Middle East. They just don't stop spreading hatred and murder for any reason they find right before their eyes. On September 12, Saudi Arabia's Wahabi Sheikh Salih Ibn al-Luhaydan issued a fatwa live on radio permitting the killing of the owners of the satellite channels "for promoting debauchery." The killing advocate answered a question by a caller on the radio, saying, "There is no doubt that these programs are a great evil, and the owners of these channels are as guilty as those who watch them… It is legitimate to kill those who call for corruption if their evil cannot be stopped by other penalties."
One day after this evil verdict, assassins killed four TV journalists from Iraq's Al-Sharqiyah Satellite TV channel while filming a show about feeding the fasting people in the holy month of Ramadan. The show called, "Breaking Your Fast Is on Us," is a popular TV show, widely watched by many Iraqis during the holy month. The TV channel picks families who have financial difficulties and make them a huge meal of Iftar, along with other presents like house equipments, including refrigerators, stoves, ovens, TV-sets, etc.
I don't know if the killing of these journalists is linked to what that evil Sheikh issued, but it seems it's not disconnected. It's wrong, wrong, wrong and wrong and should be stopped.
22 Comments:
So much evil is done in the name of religion. I know that most religious people try to do good things, but maybe John Lennon was right when he imagined a world without religion.
I can't believe that journalists doing such a kindness as fixing a good meal for a poor family could be killed for their efforts! It is just sick!
My friend Sanam recently posted about a journalist in Iran who was executed by the regime. He was trying to help poor people too. Here is a link if you want to read her post:
Will we ever become normal? A journalist was executed yesterday
Treasure,
About 2 yrs. ago I read a great story in the Washington Post that was based on samples of Saudi state secondary textbooks smuggled out of the country, 4 or 5 texts, each one a different grade level. Samples of direct translations provided online.
My Reaction after reading that article:Wow! And I thought the Saudi's were George's friends! I wonder what the Western oil companies and the Saudi royalty share besides the profits from the oil? Not much, I gather.
These texts were a stunner! I was speachless. I couldn'T believe the onesided attempt at brainwashing a generation! Surely it was so simplistic that it would fail after these students became old enough to reason for themselves. A hundred, or even 50 years ago I could understand someone like these royal tyrants (Greek meaning) attempting and being somewhat successful. Probably the N. Koreans have been working on the same wavelength. This is the last gasp of a dying culture. Eventually the populations will reject the religious institutions that either manage or are curtains for the management of this kind of mass resentment against individual civil rights.
The key is education And it is just a question of time for education, and use of the internet, to become a tool to pierce the curtains. THere is a prediction that people will generally reject organized religions, because of these experiences. However they will eventually learn that religion is THE ONLY way to cross cultural, racial, economic, national, etc. boundaries which mankind has constructed to define "us" and "them".
So.......
This isn't my original link but another opinion piece on the same topic:
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-we-all-fund-this-torrent-of-saudi-bigotry-435455.html
It is shameful! Horrendous!
here's 'fighting back'
Swing-State newspapers distribute 'terror' videos
A 60-minute DVD, titled "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West," is being distributed in millions of newspapers across the country this week primarily in swing states through an advertising purchase by a shadowy group called the Clarion Fund.
the DVD does not violate their usual standards; see our exchange with The New York Times below. A spokesperson there said the Times last Sunday inserted 145,000 DVDs in its papers delivered in the following markets: Denver, Miami/Palm Beach, Tampa, Orlando, Detroit, Kansas City, St Louis, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee/Madison. Note: These are all in swing states.
The documentary showcases scenes of Muslim children being encouraged to become suicide bombers, interspersed with shots of Nazi rallies. 'The threat of Radical Islam is the most important issue facing us today (try telling that to people loosing their pensions),'' reads the sleeve of the DVD. ''But it's a topic that neither the presidential candidates nor the media are discussing openly. It's our responsibility to ensure we can all make an informed vote in November.''
It was shown on Fox News just before the 2006 mid-term elections, and conservative activist David Horowitz screened the film on college campuses during 2007. An article at the group's site, www.radicalislam.org, endorsed John McCain as the strongest candidate this past week, then was pulled down. The DVD carries on-screen text near the outset that it is not indicting most Muslims."
'Muslim Massacre' video game condemned for glamorising slaughter of Arabs
The goal of Muslim Massacre, which can be downloaded for free on the internet, is to “ensure that no Muslim man or woman is left alive”, according to the game’s creator.
Players control an “American Hero” armed with a machine gun and rocket launcher who is parachuted into the Middle East.
here is more from the moby games (distributor) website.
Description In Muslim Massacre, a game of modern religious genocide, the player is invited to "stop acting like a liberal pussy" and take up arms now. After many bombings in the US and an executed US ambassador, Muslims start rioting throughout America and president George Bush declares war on Islam, as shown in the introduction with a real speech of Bush rolling in the background.
In this alternative course of history, players need to become A Real American Hero and face the Muslim rise in the country. The game is played from a top-down perspective and resembles an 8-bit arena shooter. Players control the hero in different rounds that last 60 to 90 seconds. Enraged Muslims appear from all sides, some defenceless, some armed, some on a suicide mission, and the hero can fire in eight directions while avoiding them. The area scrolls, but the movement only lasts a few screens. Advanced enemies pass in trucks or have rocket launchers.
Bassam, it was not clear to me when reading your post exactly who this "Saudi Arabia's Wahabi Sheikh " was.
The most senior judge in Saudi Arabia has said it is permissible to kill the owners of satellite TV channels which broadcast immoral programmes.
with friends like these who needs enemies?
Clerics like Sheikh al-Luhaydan represent a huge dilemma for the Saudi royal family, our correspondent adds.
On the one hand, Saudi rulers need their support to claim that they rule in the name of Islam.
bizarro. one would think if radical islam was our biggest concern we would be addressing the state sanctioned abuse from our allies. if this was happening in iran something tells me it would be all over the front pages of every msm from sf to ny, tho nothing.
how come SA gets a pass?
i am very very sorry for the families of these journalists. tragic.
Bassam, i feel there is a lot of spin work in this post. and i also feel that you know it well.
First, you know that that same person, the Judge, has made a statement later, explaining how he was misquoted in that life interview, and in that statemnet he said: it wasnt like that, what i did is that preached for the owners of satelite channels that promote moral corruption, and adviced them, and reminded them of God, and adviced them to stop prodcasting materials that ruin peoples faith, such as majic (some channels promote programs where a person claims to communicata with spirits or jinnies and read fortune of people or answer questions about the present and future, we call this magic and its a major sin in islam, to play people like that and make them believe this person that does magic, knows things that humans dont know it, all this is khalids explaination) and morally corrupted materials. this has to be stopped even if by killing the owners of channels that commit to prodcasting such matarials.
and then he added, this is not a verdict, its not like a judge takes off his sword and kills people, any case has to go through prosecution parties to the general prosecution, and then brought to the judge to look it up and examine the case, and then the judge decides if the defendant deserves such a harsh sentence. and after that a supervising committee revises the sentence before its taken one step more to a higher committee.
this all was his statement as you can find it on aljazeera here: http://www.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/DC2E09DE-13D5-4996-96AD-70702BC4F970.htm
and you know well Bassam, that in islam, even if a the judical system makes a sentences to kill anyone, nobody is allowed to execute that sentence except the ruler and nobody else. no death sentence is a public invention to kill. but you already knew that, didnt you??
Alright, i will assume you dont know anything about that, but connecting what he said to the tragedy of the death of presentors of a poppular sharqiyah program thats just pure spin, and you know it well, the judge statement, even in its misunderstood form doesnt say anything about criminals killing tv presentors, or innocent programs that feed hungry people, i dont even need to explain this to you because you already know that Bassam, dont you?
and just connecting the two events, is the "evil" deed here, your line of "it seems connected" is the evil part here, it seems connected in the eyes of a sectarian person that wants to promote intolerence and hate towards the sect that he just happens to to not belong to, its the evil part that promotes hatery Bassam, to connect the death of people everyone likes to some statement of a judge that doesnt know them and doesnt care about them, merely because he happens to be from the opposite sect and you want him to look bad, that is evil, writing is a responsibility Bassam, and just because your readers cant speak Arabic or know how things go on the ground here on daily bases, doesnt mean you have the right to manipulate them like that.
I am gonna be reading your blog from now on.
Khalid,
Spin? Really?!
“First, you know that that same person, the Judge, has made a statement later, explaining how he was misquoted in that life interview.”
I didn’t know about that until you posted the link which I thank you for. However, this is a typical kind of thing that usually happens when someone gets strongly opposed and criticized in our region.
His words might have been misquoted, which I kind of suspect because they were broadcasted and published allover the world. But in all cases, this whole fuss about the satellite channels spreading vice has become so cheesy. Arabs are oppressed from all sides and the only space of freedom they have is watching satellite channels. Now, what this sheikh and many others who are against satellite channels are afraid of is not the Turkish soap opera series, but the new direction which Arabs are adopting. People are no longer silent. They are all for change. But religious leaders and the tyrannical regimes in the ME and North Africa do not want that change because they want to have us bound to their strict rules that deprived us from developing our region like many parts in the world.
“and you know well Bassam, that in islam, even if a the judical system makes a sentences to kill anyone, nobody is allowed to execute that sentence except the ruler and nobody else. no death sentence is a public invention to kill. but you already knew that, didnt you??”
What I know well, Khalid, is that there are Jihadis and terrorists around the world, and more specifically in our region who are brainwashed by religious leaders in Saudi Arabia. Those Jihadis distorted and misinterpreted Islam and Quran themselves to carry out their own goals and were hugely supported and encouraged to do that by religious leaders in Saudi Arabia, Egypt’s al-Azhar, and Shiites’ Sadr for instance. So any word that intend to harm directly or indirectly is used by Jihadis who are waiting for any chance to destroy any peace effort in our region and make us bleed more than enjoy life as God gave it to us.
“Alright, i will assume you dont know anything about that, but connecting what he said to the tragedy of the death of presentors of a poppular sharqiyah program thats just pure spin, and you know it well, the judge statement, even in its misunderstood form doesnt say anything about criminals killing tv presentors, or innocent programs that feed hungry people, i dont even need to explain this to you because you already know that Bassam, dont you?”
No, I don’t! I don’t need to defend myself here because I already said this might not be connected to what he said. But it is my personal opinion. You don’t have the right to accuse me of spinning facts because I posted an opinion on a public forum.
“it seems connected in the eyes of a sectarian person that wants to promote intolerence and hate towards the sect that he just happens to to not belong to.”
First of all, I consider myself a secular Muslim. I don’t care whether people are Shiites or Sunnis or even atheists as long as they are good. And if you had read the post well enough, you could have noticed that I was mourning the death of four Sunni journalists who work for an entirely Sunni TV channel that always promotes hatred against the Iraqi government which I strongly oppose.
“writing is a responsibility Bassam, and just because your readers cant speak Arabic or know how things go on the ground here on daily bases, doesnt mean you have the right to manipulate them like that.”
Yes, writing is responsibility and that’s why I wrote this post because it is my duty as a Middle Easter revolting person to expose the rotten minds we have in the ME that are destroying our lives. Enough supporting and encouraging people who all they did was turning our region into hell, causing us leave our countries and see them burn from afar. Enough linking Islam and religion to every aspect of life. IT DOES NOT WORK ANY MORE. It was sent to people thousands of years ago and no longer fits everyting in our lives. How hard it is to understand that? Look at the west. Look at Europe. Look at Japan. Compare how they live with the kind of life we live in the Middle East. Any similarity? Hell no? They are far better than us. You know why? Because religion does not interfere with building, thinking, culture and many other things.
Even though most of my blog readers do not speak Arabic or understand our culture, they are not so ignorant about us as you may think. We are the ones who are ignorant about ourselves. Go read the hundreds of books that were written about our history and see what these leaders you are defending have done against us. These people know about all of this before we do.
The age of accepting those fanatics is gone. We are changing. We are revolting against backwardness and we are with a new Arab world that spreads equality and peace. If you are not one of us, then you’ll eventually be. Prophet Mohammed didn’t spread Islam in one night.
b
PS- Ramadan Karim. I'm fasting, but I don't let my personal fasting intervenes with my social and practical life.
khalid-san,
It seemed like you turned your back to us, and faced bassam. I think this is a basic problem, understandable but still a problem. Why? Because this condition in the ME has many fathers, not only Shia and Sunni, but Christian, Jewish, and the various sects of humanism. We are all part of the problem to varying degrees.
There won't be a real solution until all groups are recognized, until the light of knowledge shines on the bats, and spiders under the table and forces everyone to sit equally around a round table, no head of table, no foot, US is equal in one vote to Hammas, etc. everyone one vote at the table. Sure let the criminal gangs that are stirring up problems let them collectively have one vote, give everyone a voice at the table.
The chattering of Angels? No the time is probably not ripe yet. For this kind of convention would require alot of cooperation, and preparation, and I don't see the various groups ready yet. So we will have to tolerate longer being stung and bit by the spiders, and wasps, and other night creatures under the table, or excluded for whatever reason. Much as I currently see the Wahabbis as venomous, they deserve a seat at the table. They must be heard.
And enough people who listen to such a convention must be educated enough to recognize truth from falsehood, venomous whisperings from noble intentions. When will this kind of show be covered by the Arab and Farsi satellite companies just like an American political convention. When will that happen?
God Only Knows. :-)
Khalid,
this has to be stopped even if by killing the owners of channels that commit to prodcasting such matarials.
I am a little confused. Are you saying this is what Islam preaches for the punishment of this type of behavior? Or is this man's interpretation of what Islam preaches?
In our legal system we have laws against cruel and unusual punishment. Which I dare to say most people here agree with. I can understand being unhappy with the actions of charlatans who would try to scam others with tricks or magic, but a death sentence is rather cruel and unusual in my estimation.
If there is such a tenet in Islam or if people in the ME have this understanding, than do you not see where some people in the US might feel that Islam is a religion of terror? Do you not see that this type of behavior, just as well as the jihadist's, would lead people here to believe that?
Years and years ago, in the United States, those in authority used to drown people accused of witchcraft. That is no longer the case. It is something that was eliminated, and rightly so.
I am gonna be reading your blog from now on.
What?! Are you saying you've never read him in the past? Not very flattering, Khalid. :)
Bassam,
And if you had read the post well enough, you could have noticed that I was mourning the death of four Sunni journalists who work for an entirely Sunni TV channel that always promotes hatred against the Iraqi government which I strongly oppose.
I am not sure if you mean you strongly oppose the promotion of hatred against the Iraqi government or the Iraqi government itself?
Personally I strongly oppose the promotion of hatred of anyone. As to opposition to the Iraqi government, every voter has a right to their opinion. And, indeed, it is their responsibility to look for the best people to serve in their government.
Lynette,
"Personally I strongly oppose the promotion of hatred of anyone."
I totally agree. The religious fanatics ruling our countries in the ME have spread nothing but hatred among Muslims themselves, not to mention against other religions and sects. It's all struggle for power. Who wants to be the more powerful?
"As to opposition to the Iraqi government, every voter has a right to their opinion. And, indeed, it is their responsibility to look for the best people to serve in their government."
I'm opposing the government as my right as a citizen of Iraq. We are supposed to be in a free country now. So I oppose it because it failed to bring the basic needs of what Iraqis want like clean water, electricity and safety. Not to mention how sectarian it is in terms of preferring on sect over the other which is what Saddam exactly used to do when he was in power.
That's why I oppose it, not because of the sect of its members but because of their failure.
well, there was alot i was going to say but lynn completely took the words right out of my mouth!
i will add tho, that creating a legal procedure to implement the verdict of this judge ("even if by killing the owners")certainly does not relieve me in the least, if anything it makes it worse!
Bassam, rarely do i feel the urge to improve your english but please note that revolting against something (We are revolting against backwardness ) is not at all the same as being a revolting person (I wrote this post because it is my duty as a Middle Eastern revolting person), which you most definitely are not! check definition: revolting
a person revolting against something would self identify as a revolutionary person, or a person in revolt. whereas a person self identifying as 'revolting' would be saying they were a disgusting person.
very important distinction!
Thanks, Annie for your explanation. In Arabic, it's not very different to use the same term. I should have not explained it the way we do it in Arabic!
I love English. Everyday I learn something new.
One of the greatest problems, IMHO, that you get, intertwining ministers of religious doctrine, with ministers of state, is that religious doctrine is not as useful in solving many of the basic problems of government: Take Financial matters for example. What do religious leaders know about the sophisticated ways money moves across national borders seeking a profit? Or take Medical services. What do religious leaders know about determining which medical procedures should and should not be supported by government compensation? It is true that in theory these fall under the authority of supposed experts, however it ultimately come to how resources are allocated. Who gets the money first, and who gets the leftovers. There will always be "in" groups and "out" groups, adding religious affiliation only takes a step backward in civilization for the advancement a national state was meant to symbolize. Otherwise it is tribalism by another name, IMHO.
Bassam, i thought this might interest you.
* AlSharqiyya TV (sister organization to the newspaper Azzaman), which ran a program recently on torture of Iraqis in Iraqi prisons, has been subect in the last few days to a campaign of vilification by the government-run AlIraqiyya TV, and yesterday four of its employees were kidnapped and murdered in Mosul while filming the next episode in a Ramadan series. According to AlHayat, the director of AlSharqiyya linked the killings to the program on torture, and to the campaign of vilification, and said the government-run station bears moral responsibility for the killings. (Remarks by an unnamed McClatchy correspondent on their blog indicate that the campaign against AlSharqiyya is part of the government's "Baathist menace" theme).
i will admit it did occur to me the connection you made between these two events seemed lacking in detail. while the theme is there (kill reporters that report things we don't like), i was not clear why this incident in iraq (as opposed to SA) was a targeted response to the shiek's words. and thought perhaps the killing of the filmakers might have been unrelated.
but certainly the theme of killing people who hold a different ideology rings true in either case, however the press has always been a target to people who find the truth dangerous, or different ideas to be dangerous.
the shiek's words were horrible, any justification is horrible, but how is this any different from press being targeted in other circumstances like the blowing up of TV stations and all the other journalists being targeted?
i guess what i mean to say is, it is worse to kill people over disagreements over the interpretation of islam than it is to kill them for opposing political affiliations?
as a secular person it is easier to comprehend killing people to control their resources (or whatever, just an exampole of political motivation) than it is to comprehend killing them for wearing sexy makeup or whatever, but when all's said and done victims are still unjustly dead.
is the shock and horror of this that he would come right out on the radio and admit his views, as opposed to those who do not admit why they kill?
what if it was an iraqi state hit? either way, with friends like these who needs enemies.
As we know Bassam, struggle for power and mass control among religious fanatics is sadly spread over all religious.
Ring P1 is a Swedish debate radio program where you can call in and have your say about anything. Lately it has been filled with people calling in stating that the only true way is thru Jesus and the bible. A debate started about the importance of research and woups you had callers debating that research is waste of time to what is already know in the only true book the bible. Their solution for the Aids epidemic in the world was join Jesus NOT more medication and education.
These are people views from a extremely free and democratic country. With full access to all sort of media, education and travel and still in 2008 in Sweden you hear people with views that its either Jesus or you go to hell. Its sad and at the same time it scare me so much, becouse it seems these fanatics all over seem to decide the worlds agenda these days and there are always someone who believes them and do what they want.
One thing that still seems to be true, is that these local communities around the local mosque are sources of energy, constructive or destructive. THis is not true in Japan. The local communities are still withering away, the young people are moving away, families are going from 3 generational ones when I first came here, to 2 generational to 1 generational. We are a step behind the US, but continuing to try to catch up.
Not so in places like Iraq. The community structures are still sources of energy, all they need is ......... a little money. Alot could be done bypassing the bottlenecks in the central gov. IF there were good-spirited local leaders who encouraged reconciliation and reconstruction. Iraq could become a real garden of local communities, if security could be taken care of and money available, if not from Baghdad, then from Bill and Linda Gates, or others.
Iraq could become a real garden of local communities, if security could be taken care of and money available
it would be really sad if the days of mixed neighborhoods were gone for good. did you see this?
Annie, to say "Thanks." for that link would be an understatement, but, "Thanks." (I thought about adding a "!" but refrained)
Well I feel as though I am cruising over islands of realities, Treasures' article, our comments here, your link, and the NYTimes front page article on the current atmosphere of Baghdad. I suppose there is always a link to everything.
Politics cannot tolerate anything that approaches BIG Picture analysis (much less David French Wallace style self reflection.) So Obama and McCain are forced to present the current appearance of whatever people can easily observe on a Sunday afternoon in 30 minutes walking through a Baghdad neighborhood -- ie the surge worked, let't hear it for "the Surge". We shouldn't lose confidence, the US will continue.
regards from Japan.
I am going to repeat an old idea.
The key is "education". With education the people will not need to blindly follow the advice of a bigot, fanatic. They can see on the Internet for themselves. However they need to be guided in this process.
Hello Bassam,
walla I enjoyed your rebuttal to our friend Khalid Jarrar big time, he is a really nice guy in person but here unfortunately most of the time he is so full of himself and thinks he's got a monopoly on the truth, I still remember when he so nicely called me 'anti-Iraq' just because I don't agree with his ways. and now he just barges in here,reads one post and that's it, he's figured you, you're a sectarian Shia hiding under a secular garb. Shwaya have manners ya akhi inta ma ti7turum il nas?
I don't really see a direct connection between Luhaidan and al-Sharqiya crew murder, but it's possible, as al-Sharqiya has been broadcasting a lot of material considered indecent and immoral by people such as Khalid, some crazy fanatic in Mosul might have been felt inspired that day. so why not?
and if anyone is spinning anything then it's Khalid with his republishing of the lame justification al-Luhaidan tried to defend himself with, how many ways can you interpret a sheikh saying 'kill',especially with all the killing associated to Muslims these days?
Abbas, I haven't heard back from Khalid. He might have been celebrating the murder of Mickey Mouse!!!
i wanted to report on a really horrible terror attack against a mosque right here in the US that has received a media blackout except in the town in which it occurred
Chemical irritant empties Islamic Society of Greater Dayton's mosque
Update: Islamic Society baffled by incident at worship service
Saturday, September 27, 2008
DAYTON — Baboucarr Njie was preparing for his prayer session Friday night, Sept. 26, when he heard children in the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton coughing. Soon, Njie himself was overcome with fits of coughing and, like the rest of those in the building, headed for the doors.
"I would stay outside for a minute, then go back in, there were a lot of kids," Njie said. "My throat is still itchy, I need to get some milk."
Njie was one of several affected when a suspected chemical irritant was sprayed into the mosque at 26 Josie St., bringing Dayton police, fire and hazardous material personnel to the building at 9:48 p.m.
Someone "sprayed an irritant into the mosque," Dayton fire District Chief Vince Wiley said, noting that fire investigators believe it was a hand-held spray can.
According to fire dispatch communications, a child reported seeing two men with a white can spraying something into a window. That child was brought to the supervising firefighter at the scene.
Wiley would not discuss that report, but said the investigation has been turned over to police. Police were not commenting.
The 300 or so inside were celebrating the last 10 days of Ramadan with dinner and a prayer session, but the prayer session was interrupted so those suffering from tearing, coughing and shortness of breath could receive treatment.
story here
i urge anyone who reads this now to go to the link and recommend the diary that links to the story on the most trafficed US political site on the internet as it is currently on the very short recommend list and during this election season is sure to drop off that list soon. it is really important people are aware of this racism.
also, the dayton new has an update on the story which includes this
Also on Sunday, members of several Dayton religious groups were scheduled to view and discuss a DVD about Islamic radicalism mailed to some area homes and circulated with newspapers here and around the country.
"Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West," was a paid advertising insert in the Dayton Daily News, Springfield News-Sun, Hamilton JournalNews and Middletown Journal, all owned by Cox Ohio Publishing, on Monday, Sept. 22. It appeared in more than 70 other newspapers nationwide.
.
this horrible racism that has infected our society as a result of this 'WOT' and the scum that promote this and this horrible dvd angers me so much. i called the newspaper and thanked them for there report.
peace will prevail
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