A special thanks from the Taliban

Yesterday, Pakistani President Asif Zardari, the widower of Benazir Bhutto, signed into law a "peace agreement" where the Pakistani Taliban would implement Sharia law in the scenic Swat Valley. Sharia, of course, is the type of "justice system" that allows for the flogging of a teenage girls and arranged marriages between old men and 8-year olds.

Anyway, the Taliban have shown their appreciation by refusing to lay down their arms, which was supposed to be their side of the bargain. So here we have it...the Taliban gets to welsh on their deal and the Pakistani government is left with their country backsliding into the grip of homicidal maniacs. The Taliban also had a "thank you" gift to offer...

From BBC:

A suicide car bomber has attacked a security post in north-western Pakistan, killing at least 18 people, nine of them police, police say.

The bomber set off his explosives as he pulled up at a checkpoint in Charsadda, a town near the city of Peshawar.

There has so far been no claim of responsibility for the attack.

But correspondents say Pakistani Taleban militants, allied to al-Qaeda, have carried out numerous such attacks over the past two years.

Sick stuff. I hope that President Obama can show the same determination he showed when confronting the Somali pirates.

The Iraqi blogosphere + Israel and Palestine debates = Mayhem

While we have watched Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki and the people of Iraq triumph in the face of terrorism, there is another struggle, maybe even a war, that is taking place, and it is happening in the Iraqi blogosphere.

First, my friends over at Iraqi Bloggers Central have announced they are closing their doors. While this is a bit depressing, I am very happy for them...they have run the blog for 5 successful years. I don't always agree with them--particularly Mr. Ghost, but nonetheless they have all at one time or another done something to help Iraq and its people. Jeffrey, the most frequent poster, has noted there has been a decline in English-language Iraqi blogs...my link list has quite a few of them, I might add. But on the other hand, there is a growing number of inactive Iraqi bloggers, as evident by the growing list on IBC.

Speaking of which, those blogs that have been a good read are experiencing some trouble. Iraqi Mojo has always been one of my favorite Iraqi bloggers with his spot-on analysis of the situation in Iraq and willingness to stand up for what is right. Today though, the blog has been overrun with haters, many of which come Healing Iraq, a run-down, inactive site that was run by Zeyad Kasim, who also had some good thoughts to offer at one point. Anyway, Mojo's blog has been the center of a debate that tends to invoke nothing but hate and anger for 60 years: Israel and Palestine.

A residential neighborhood in Ramallah, the capital of the West Bank. Anyone who knows about the debate knows that this is a frequent battleground between Israelis and Palestinians.

The lines have been drawn over at Mojo's, and commentators who were once friendly with each other are know bashing each other, tossing insults around, and getting worked up over nothing because anti-American supporters of the Iraqi "Resistance" like Arab Advocate and his side-kick, Bruno, the Afrikaner, have figured out how to stir up trouble and get their sick kicks. In the year and a half I have been commenting at Mojo's, I have been able to avoid the discussion...I always feared that because I vehemently stand beside Israel's right to exist and believe that Israel offers light in a region overrun by darkness I would forever be labeled a "Zionist", a "Zionut", or as some haters will say, a "fascist", or a "Nazi", words which I believe are deliberately used to cause hurt the people of the Jewish Homeland, given their historical significance.

However, when Arab Advocate calls for Israel to be "dismantled"--a codeword for "destroyed"--I have no choice but to speak up. In the midst of my defense, I have been accused of supporting "the deportation of Palestinians to Jordan", supporting Avigdor Lieberman and his policies, supporting the West Bank settlers, and worst of all, not caring about the right of Palestinians. This stuff is so out of proportion I don't even know where to begin. For starters, I am strongly opposed to the settlements and their inhabitants who regularly attack both innocent Palestinians and Israelis who try to protect them. I think they, alongside terrorist groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad, are one of the biggest obstacles to peace in the region. Not only that, they really aren't any different from each other. Militant Zionists like those mentioned in the above link are just as bad as the Palestinians who fire rockets and mortars into Israel. At the same time, I don't think it makes me "anti-Palestinian" to point out that Jordan, in addition to Israel, snatched up Palestinian land in the first partition. Am I anti-Palestinian when I express my sheer outrage over what Hamas does to its own people? I hope anyone who cares about Palestinians wouldn't think this.

Israel has no doubt done bad things in its 60 years history, while at the same time attempting to offer things that no other country in the region will offer, like free press, democracy, women's rights, and major technological advantages, things that I believe are necessary for any society to truly succeed. Perhaps its difficult for some Americans to focus on the bad things Israel has done because they blindly support Israel for religious reasons--a means to an end, if I may say so. Or maybe its because Israel is surrounded by regimes so evil and repressive, like gender-apartheid Saudi Arabia, Bashir's blood-soaked Sudan, and Big Q's Libya, that it makes the settler violence seem mild in the eyes of the world.

If a fair international forum could exist, Israel would have things to answer for. Unfortunately, its nearly impossible to take the UN "Human Rights" Commission seriously when they give their posts and chairmanships to countries like the 3 mentioned above (Libya, Sudan, Saudi Arabia) and expect the world to take action against Israel. While the Gaza War erupted backed in December, an even worse conflict raged on in the jungles of Sri Lanka...just recently, 60 civilians were blown up by mortar fire but no one cares because this debate does not invoke political passion like Israel and Palestine do. During the the Gaza war, pro-Hamas protests broke out here in San Francisco, believe it or not. I haven't seen any protesters in San Francisco march through the streets waving Tamil Tiger flags and calling for the destruction of the Sri Lankan government, which could meet all the same criteria of being a "racist state" as Israel might. America has provided aid to Sri Lanka and has the Tamil Tigers on their list of terrorist organizations as well.

Recently, on Angry Arab's Comment Section, a blog I often visit, one commentator made a joke about Israeli immigrants moving to India and stealing Indian land, completely oblivious to the fact that India is already being "occupied" by Pakistan and Bangladesh, but I guess maybe its okay for these people because the occupiers are Muslims, instead of Jews. I've seen many of the commentators go after the Hindus of India for being the oppressive ones while falling silent over what Pakistani and Bangladeshi militants have done to India's civilian population. And no, I am not going on an anti-Muslim rant. Any regular reader of this blog would know that I have fiercely defended Pakistan in its fight against terrorism and that its harder to find a bigger defender of the Islamic religion than myself. I just don't think that blatant hypocrisy is fair.

My point in going on about this is that I really wish that people would completely and totally avoid this debate UNLESS they are willing to hear the other side and listen to their concerns. At the beginning of the month, I attended a debate featuring As'ad Abukhalil, the "Angry Arab" and Israeli Consul General Akiva Tor. I was disgusted by the people who claimed to be "Pro-Palestinian"--they were extremely disrespectful to the Consul General by shouting insults and yelling at him when he was trying to speak. Somewhere in the crowd, conscientious supporters of the Palestinian people must have been very embarrassed by what was happening. The event was advertised as though it would be a forum to discuss the issue...it was anything but. While it was very exciting to meet the two speakers, the "forum" managed to attract the worst of American Society.

I have met Palestinians...and I have met Israelis. Sometimes it seems they are more willing to discuss the issues than their supporters in other countries, believe it or not. Unless you are willing to bring your opponent into a cafe, drink coffee, and talk things over, you should avoid talking about anything involving Israel and Palestine for your own well-being and the well-being of others. I've heard that this conflict has wrecked many political careers over its perplexity and inability to be solved...I would say that the debate has wrecked many good and decent friendships over the inability to find any common ground.

Paradise lost...

After a lengthy battle, Pakistan has agreed to allow the Taliban to introduce Sharia law, a deranged way of life backward enough to inflict punishment on rape victims, as my most last post pointed out. By all means, Pakistan is surrendering to the Taliban.

If the Pakistani Army does pull out and the Taliban moves into the once-beautiful Swat Valley, that leaves us with few options, except for maybe...



Air power of course...certainly no one deserves a missile up their ass more than a bearded scumbag who storms into a girls school with an AK-47 and burns it down, blows it up, or in some cases, throws acid on the innocent students. How sad is it to think of the young girls in Pakistan who, thanks to the Pakistani government, might lose the battle for their education.

President Obama needs to put forth a troop surge strategy in Afghanistan, but it will have to be more complex than that. Recent polls are suggesting that the people of Afghanistan are losing their trust of the United States and our NATO allies. For every girls' school the Taliban burns down in the tribal areas of Pakistan, the elected-government of Afghanistan, along with its western allies, should build 50 new ones on the Afghan-side of the border. Having their leaders picked off by CIA predator drones may be damaging to the Taliban, but the only way they will ever be finished off is if both Afghans and Pakistanis succeed in building successful democracies.

I have always defended Pakistan...there is little doubt that they have suffered far more than any other country in the region from terrorism, especially India and Afghanistan. But surrendering Swat Valley could be a mistake of historical proportions.

Standing with our ally

I understand that I have been fixated with what has been happening in India this last week, so I felt the need to post this article by Christopher Hitchens. I agree with him that we need to maintain a close partnership with India. He is also correct in saying that India acts as a good "counterweight" to Russia and China, although I do not necessarily agree with him about Pakistan, seeing as Pakistan is suffering from terrorism too.

I should note that this is from the center of the article...the full piece can be seen in the link below. Enjoy Hitchens' writing :)

Our friends in Bombay

by Christopher Hitchens

I hope I am not alone in finding the statements about Bombay from our politicians to be anemic and insipid, and the media coverage of the disastrous and criminal attack too parochially focused on the fate of visiting or resident Americans. India is emerging in many ways as our most important ally. It is a strong regional counterweight to Russia and China. Not to romanticize it overmuch, it is a huge and officially secular federal democracy that is based, like the United States, on ethnic and confessional pluralism. Its political and economic and literary echelons speak English better than most of us do. Its parliament in New Delhi—the unbelievably diverse and dignified Lok Sabha—was viciously attacked by Islamist gangsters and nearly destroyed in December 2001, a date which ought to have made more Americans pay more attention rather than less. Since then, Bombay has been assaulted multiple times and the Indian Embassy in Afghanistan blown up with the fairly obvious cross-border collusion of the same Pakistani forces who are helping in the rebirth of the Taliban.

It would be good to hear from the president and the president-elect that we regard attacks on the fabric and society of India with very particular seriousness, as assaults on a close friend that was battling al-Qaida long before we were. In response, it should be emphasized, our military and financial and nuclear and counterinsurgency cooperation with New Delhi will not be given a lower profile but a very much higher one. The people of India need to hear this from us, as do the enemies of India, who are our sworn enemies, too.

The inevitable question arises: Did our nominal ally Pakistan have a hand in this atrocity? In one sense, to ask the question is to answer it. Whether we refer to al-Qaida "proper," or to any of the armed Kashmiri formations that have lately been mentioned, we find some pre-existing connection to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency, or ISI. Another conceivable suspect, the former Bombay crime lord Dawood Ibrahim, wanted by the Indian authorities on suspicion of blowing up the Bombay stock exchange and killing 300 civilians in 1993, has long been a fugitive from justice living safely in Pakistan's main port of Karachi. Not a bad place from which to organize an amphibious assault team that acted as if it had been trained by serious military professionals.

The time for cooperation is now

Tensions have been exacerbated between the US and Pakistan in recent weeks, after US special forces crossed into Pakistan to pursue Taliban militants who use the "sovereignty" of northwestern Pakistan to their advantage. There are two things that Pakistan needs to realize...first of all, the NW regions are anything but sovereign territory of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Much of the area is a "no-go" zone for the Pakistani security forces, and the Taliban is able to operate freely. Second of all, while the Taliban leaders claim that their fight is directed at America, the violence--the bombings and terror attacks that continue to rock the country--are going to continue as Pakistan remains on the track of democracy. The election of Benazir Bhutto's widower...Asif Ali Zardari, angers Baitullah Mehsud and Uncle Ayman just as much Pakistan's cooperation with the US. A Taliban mini-state in the northwest and a democratic Pakistan will never be able to cooperate together.

So the point is, as long as the US and Pakistan refuse to cooperate and draft a real plan to finally crush the Taliban safe havens, this will continue to happen...

This horrific attack against the Marriott Hotel killed scores of people--including two Americans and the Czech Republic's ambassador to Pakistan. Dozens of Muslims celebrating the breaking of the fast (during the month of Ramadan) were also killed, proving once again that Muslims and westerners alike are in this fight together. As can be seen in this photo, the hotel is said to be in danger of collapsing, and we can only pray that no one else is trapped inside.

Pakistan has already lost control of its sovereignty, and its time for Pakistan's leaders to realize this. Perhaps no one knows better than Asif Ali Zardari...who lost his wife, Benazir, to these people last year. Pakistan should immediately join up with NATO and launch a joint-operation into the lawless frontiers, and at the same time, an aggressive political campaign must be put together to convince the tribal leaders in Pakistan's northwest that the terrorists they are sheltering--Bin Laden ,Zawahiri, and Mehsud--are Islam's greatest enemies. It would be similar to the effort that brought Iraq's Anbar province away from the grip of Al-Qaeda, and back under the control of Iraqis. But in the end, breaking ties with the US will NOT free Pakistan from terrorism...it will only make it weaker.

Pakistan's steps to solving terrorism:

I believe Pakistan could make headway in fighting terrorism and regaining control of its north provinces if it followed steps like these.

-Continue the ongoing operations against the Taliban...but not alone. Pakistan, Afghanistan, and NATO should sign a joint agreement to move freely in pursuit of extremists across the border. The rugged mountains make this hard enough as it it is--the diplomatic BS is only tying things up and benefit the Taliban, who have no respect for any of that anyway.

-Convince the Pakistani people that terrorism is Islam's greatest threat, not the US. Iraq has run a series of anti-terrorism public service announcements on TV, and has had great success in turning the tide on "Islamic" fundamentalism.

-Work to improve relations with Afghanistan and India...it would be a tremendous blow if Al-Qaeda and their affiliates realized they have failed in their efforts to keep the region divided. Recent events--the Marriott attack, the serial bombings in major Indian cities, the attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul--are clearly meant to cause political chaos. India and Pakistan are historic enemies, but in today's dangerous world, they face a common enemy.

-Don't give up the fight...savage acts of terrorism like the Marriott attack are going to continue, unfortunately. It is important that Pakistan and its allies move against the Taliban and don't pull back. Zardari is right to label terrorism as "a cancer", because if left unchecked, the cancer of terrorism will eventually consume its host--in this case, Pakistan's new democracy--and replace it with an enemy regime on the scale of the 1979 revolution in Iran.

...this last suggestion is for the US and Pakistan's critics who claim Pakistan "hasn't done enough in fighting terrorism...

-Stand with Pakistan and its people! Pakistan is a victim of terrorism, even more so than America. This is why I get so angry when I hear American politicians criticize Pakistan for failing to confront terrorism from the safety of their offices in Washington. Musharraf's government repeatedly tried to go after the Taliban, but the campaign of violence directed at major Pakistani cities these last two years is what I believe led to his eventual collapse. The Taliban cannot confront Pakistan's military, but they can turn the tide of public opinion by directing their attacks on the Pakistani people. Saturday's attack on the Marriott was not the first...last year, a suicide bomber killed a hotel guard who bravely prevented the terrorist's entry into the building.

Accusations by India and Afghanistan's President, Hamid Karzai, that Pakistan is supporting terrorism against their countries are certainly adding fuel to the fire. Pakistan's intelligence agencies have unfortunately been infiltrated by Taliban sympathizers, but the Pakistani government and its people are suffering just as much as their neighbors. In closing I will quote Bob Marley..."unite for the benefit of your people".

Al-Qaeda stands alone

AQ's deputy leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri has released a new videotape, and in it, he condemns the actions of Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas. Its clear now...AQ is getting desperate, and they are now forced to lash out at anyone...even grotesque regimes that have in the past been sympathetic to their cause. The article below the attack on Iran shows the measures Al-Qaeda needs to go to in order to continue their campaign of violence.

Al-Qaida blasts Iran for working with US

Al-Qaida marked the anniversary of the September 11 attacks Monday with an hour-and-a-half video message summarizing the state of jihad, or holy war, around the world and slamming Iran for collaborating with the United States.

In the short excerpts aired on the Arab satellite news channel Al-Jazeera, al-Qaida Number 2 Ayman al-Zawahri accused Iran working with US forces.

"The guardian of Muslims in Teheran is cooperating with the Americans in occupying Iraq and Afghanistan and recognizes the two hireling governments there," he said.

Zawahri also criticized the Shi'ites for not "issuing any fatwa (edict) inside or outside Iraq calling for jihad and carrying arms against the Crusader occupier in Iraq." In militant postings, "crusaders" is shorthand for US troops in Iraq.

Zawahri has been increasingly singling out Iran and Shi'ites in his messages, most recently in April, describing the "Persians" as the enemy of Arabs and complicit in the occupation of Iraq.

The latest video featured clips of al-Qaida operations in the various fronts around the world, including Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia, with prominent figures from the movement discoursing on their accomplishments over the year, Al-Jazeera said.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Pakistan...

From the Pakistan Dawn:

Teenage ‘suicide bomber’ held in Nowshera

NOWSHERA, Sept 8: Security personnel arrested on Monday a teenage boy they claimed was on a suicide mission and defused his explosives-lined vest. The boy was near a church in the Cantonment area when he was apprehended.

Officials said that 14-year-old boy, Mir Janan, was from Makeen area of South Waziristan.

During interrogation, the boy is said to have claimed that he belonged to Baitullah Mehsud’s Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan.

According to officials, he said that he had been brought to the area by a man on a motorbike.

The Inter Service Public Relations said the bomber was about 17 to 18 years old and his target was a security convoy.

He was spotted by two junior cmmissioned officers, Subedar Mohammad Naeem Akhtar and Naib Subedar Mohammad Rafique, who got hold of him.

The ISPR said that the boy was wearing a suicide vest packed with 10 to 15 kilogrammes of explosives. The vest was defused by bomb disposal personnel.

It is learnt that the boy also carried a hand-grenade and he tried to use it by removing its safety pin, but he was prevented from doing so.

Later, bomb disposal personnel had tactfully persuaded the bomber to take off the vest.

Security agencies are on the lookout for accomplices of the young terrorist.

Uncle Ayman doesn't have much to say about this in his tape. You would think someone like Baitullah Mehsud (Pakistani Taliban chief, alleged assassin of Benazir Bhutto) would have many "brave" martyrs on hand instead of having to convince 14-year olds to blow themselves up amongst fellow Muslims. A similar case like this happened in Iraq last month, involving a 16-year old girl.

Make no mistake, although AQ takes a beating every time the world sees their true face (that they kill children and target Muslims more than any other group), they did score a tremendous victory with Musharraf's ouster. Zawahiri points to this in his tape, specifically.

Condi's new friend

Now here's a nice story about hypocrisy...

Just look at my post last month, about Condoleeza Rice's attitude towards former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, who she threw under the bus because of his decision to declare a state of emergency in a country that is being overtaken by terrorist violence.

But wait a sec, look who Condi wants us to get along with...



So its okay to dine with Gadafi? Rice will beat the drums over a state of emergency (which we would have done to, if such a threat hit the US) but she's okay with overlooking Lockerbie and the other hiddeous acts committed by her new friend?

Sad. So sad.

Musharraf's legacy and how the US should look back...

Pakistan's President Musharraf has stepped down from office, finally falling victim to relentless pressure by Taliban fundamentalists and misguided opponents. With his departure, its time the US thinks long and hard about how it treats its allies.

Earlier, I heard a report that Condoleezza Rice put down any suggestion that the US would be willing to give sanctuary to the Pakistani President, who is under threat of impeachment from the recently elected "coalition" government, led by the late Benazir Bhutto's husband, Asif Zardari, and Nawaz Sharif, a former Pakistani prime minister. First of all, let me just say that I am completely disgusted with Rice's statements, and the US should be ashamed of itself, given the decision by Musharraf's opponents to attempt to negotiate people who blow up innocent people-security forces, civilians, Shia AND Sunni Muslims. When I thought about writing a post on this subject, I wanted to begin by saying that Nawaz Sharif is a vindictive, fat-headed moron (Musharraf ousted him in a coup almost ten years ago, and he has gone so far as to say Musharraf should be sentenced to death), but then I read this letter.


An Open Letter to Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari

I AM writing this to you sitting outside a coffee shop in Virginia, a little outside Washington. I hope that my letter will be taken in the spirit in which it is written — from someone who deeply loves Pakistan and sincerely cares about it.

Over the years, I have watched the situation in Pakistan, analyzed it and have come to the conclusion that the problems of Pakistan can be solved by the people of Pakistan themselves provided they set aside emotions and self-interest. A country of about 150 million people facing so many dangers from within and without cannot afford to be hostage to the whims and caprices of anyone — even elected leaders.

Sitting thousands of miles away but emotionally present in Pakistan, I feel that the time has come for everyone to rise up and confront the danger, reject revenge, put aside personal ambitions, remove malice and enter into a new phase of reconciliation.

I read in the papers here of calls for the impeachment of President Pervez Musharraf. I read of statements saying he will not be granted safe passage. I read of charge sheets being prepared against him by hitherto unknown politicians. I also read about the president calling for reconciliation.

I tell you in all honesty that Pakistan does not have the luxury of time or money to embark on an impeachment move. Neither is it the time to focus on such divisive issues. Suddenly political pundits and inexperienced lawmakers are seen making statements. They talk about the interest of Pakistan. What interest, I ask them. It is good for the ego to get 15 minutes worth of fame by talking to a local television network or The Washington Post.

HOWEVER, it is more difficult to show generosity and tolerance by reaching out and closing ranks, and history is full of such examples.

And I will start with our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who forgave all his enemies. It was he who told the Archangel Gabriel that he would forgive all those who threw stones at him in Taif. Let us honor ourselves by following him.

Let us take a great man of our time — Nelson Mandela. After 27 years in prison, he spoke of truth and reconciliation. Mandela sat with Pik Botha, who served as South Africa’s foreign minister in the last years of the apartheid era, immediately after his release and helped guide South Africa to its promising future. After the black majority came to power, Mandela’s followers did not go on a rampage. They did not burn or loot. Mandela commanded respect.

I asked him was there any rancor or hate in his heart for those who oppressed him and his people. He replied that South Africa was too important for him to feel anger. Imagine what would have happened if Mandela had taken the road of personal revenge.

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is indeed on his way down the dark pathway of revenge...and in the process is dragging his country with him.

Now allow me to offer my thoughts. Musharraf is obviously not a perfect man, but I think he understands the nature of the situation his country his facing. Condoleezza Rice feels the need to go off on him for declaring the much vilified state of emergency, but there is no doubt in my mind that President Bush (or any world leader, really) would take the exact same course of action if thousands of soldiers had died on his nation's soil, if suicide bombers were victimizing American cities on a daily basis, and if countless civilians continued to fall pray to terrorism in a savage attempt to disrupt the political process. If this was happening in the United States, what would we do? Please Ms. Rice, would you be willing to answer this question? I suppose this could be my open letter to Condoleezza Rice, or even the Bush Administration in general.

Musharraf tried to do the right thing...he wanted to do what the US asked of him while trying to put his country first. I believe what ultimately led to his political was the targeting of Pakistani civilians by militant groups based in the Northern mountains, which turned the population against him. Many far-left and so-called "antiwar" groups also allege that Musharraf "wasn't doing enough to fight terrorism". To me, that is complete nonsense, given the above scenario, Musharraf was probably afraid of a full-scale confrontation because of the bloody backlash it had against his people.

All I can say now is that I hope that Nawaz and Zardari will heed the calls in that letter, because the very last thing Pakistan needs is more tension. Sharif's vengeance may ultimately prove to be just as divisive as the bombing campaigns ordered by Taliban warlords, who are very likely laughing it up in a cave somewhere in the mountains right now...

Religions cannot only reject terrorism, they need to stand up against it, together

When writing this post, my first thought was Saturday's brutal terror attacks in the Indian city of Ahmadabad, but this can apply to all settings and religious backgrounds. The followers of a religion must do more than simply reject the use of extremism in the name of their faith. In addition to speaking out against the use of violence, they must stand beside different religions, especially when extremists seek to create tension between said religions, often by simply killing as many people as they can, holding their breath, and hoping it will create mayhem and panic. We've seen it in Iraq many times...what appeared to be nothing but a country descending into chaos and civil war was initiated by Al-Qaeda's specific targeting of religious institutions and provoked a conflict that has shaped the political world in a way never imagined.

With things taking a turn for the better in Iraq, it looks like a another target has emerged...central and south Asia. In India and Pakistan, the continued use of terrorism has done considerable damage to the people of these countries, and has wrecked havoc in marketplaces, bus stations, cafes, and other public places. India is one of the most populous countries in the world, with one of the largest GDP's in the world and a formidable military power. Yet somehow, a rag-tag band of so-called Islamic fundamentalist can bring the country to its knees and create shock waves of panic across the nation of more than one billion. By strapping dozens of crudely made explosive devices to bicycles and bins and blowing up as many people as possible, fear is everywhere. In a country like India, where many cities are overcrowded with millions of people, the attackers can fall back into the shadows, leaving the population afraid and vulnerable.

The sick people who carry out these attacks are hardly Muslim at all (I know, I make this point on my blog almost weekly). The attacks happening in India and Pakistan are designed to create as much tension and animosity between rival religious groups (Hindus and Muslims) and rival political parties (AQ and the Taliban's targeting of Benazir Bhutto, Musharraf, and their supporters). Sometimes they succeed, as they managed to do in Iraq for sometime, until the Iraqi people finally stood up and said "Enough!", and other times they stand in solidarity, as they have managed to do in India's religiously diverse communities. Despite dozens of attacks, including Saturday's bomb blasts, there has yet to be large-scale violence against the Hindu and Muslim population. This is the good news, and the fact that their barbaric form of "resistance" has failed to do what's intended must hit back at the forces of terrorism.

Photos from CNN/AP

Separating Islam from Al-Qaeda

It is widely speculated that a massive car bomb attack against the Danish Embassy in the Pakistani capitol of Islamabad on Monday is reaction to the Danish cartoons that have been the subject of great controversy in recent months. The first thing on everyone's mind will be the notion that Islamic extremists are somehow "defending Islam" by driving a car packed with explosives into a foreign embassy, but let's remember something--there are over 1.2 billion Muslims in the world, and even if only 10 percent of them embraced Al-Qaeda's beliefs, the world would quickly be brought to its knees in a sea of destruction. The suggestion by some that attacks like this are the mainstream view in Islam are incorrect, the numbers themselves prove that wrong. Instead, controversies like the Danish Cartoons and the Dutch film "Fitna" give Al-Qaeda and other extremists a chance to recruit followers by convincing them that their religion is being insulted...and also put more distance between Muslims and westerners, who should be embracing each other in the fight against extremism. Anyone who reads my writings knows that I am a strong supporter of Islam and believe that the faith has been twisted into a sadistic ideology by some to advance certain beliefs--beliefs that are far from what is taught in the Koran. Someday, Al-Qaeda's lasting legacy will be the horrendous destruction it has brought upon Muslim countries and the religon it claimed to be fighting for, and not necessarily the attacks it has succeeded in carrying out in the west, which pale in comparison.

There's another reason not to believe the speculation that this is only about "blasphemy". Consider that AQ's #2 man Ayman Al-Zawahiri has openly declared that the Danish cartoons merit a response from Muslims, but why is it that Mr. Zawahiri doesn't have much to say when his Taliban allies in Pakistan's northwest blast their way through crowds of worshippers in mosques to target security officials and politicians? Surely, that is FAR more degrading and harmful to Islam than anything a Danish newspaper can print or anything Geert Wilders can say in his misguided film, yet Al-Qaeda and their fellow extremists do so with glee not only in Pakistan, but in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other Muslim countries. Al-Qaeda is exploiting this issue--and I strongly suggest the Dutch film "Fitna" and other anti-Muslim propaganda should be pulled, but by the looks of it, Al-Qaeda is far more interested in killing innocent people (mainly Muslims) and bringing about destruction in Muslim countries, so it isn't fair to say they are standing with their "fellow Muslims" to defend a religion they have greatly perverted.

Here's the story about the attack from The New York Times. Keep in mind Pakistan's government is trying to engage in "peace talks" with the Taliban, including militant leader Baitullah Mehsud, who is believed to be responsible for some of the many suicide bombings that have plagued Pakistani cities the last year and a half--including the assassination on Benazir Bhutto and the previous attempt on her life that killed scores of her supporters two months earlier.

A powerful car bomb exploded outside the Danish Embassy in an upscale area of the Pakistani capital Monday, badly damaging the building and killing at least six people, according to reports from hospitals.

A senior official at the Interior Ministry, Rehman Malik, said one foreigner was among the dead, but he did not give a nationality. Casualty lists posted at two hospitals said that six people had died and more than 20 had been injured. Mr. Malik said the police were investigating whether the blast was a suicide attack. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The blast, heard around the city at about 1 p.m., was the second effort to single out foreigners in Islamabad in the last few months and came as the civilian government has signed a series of peace deals with Islamic militants in the nation’s tribal areas.

Several European bomb experts who examined the blast site said that the bomb appeared to have contained about 110 pounds of explosives and left a crater nearly three feet deep. It was powerful enough to wreck cars up and down a street that is home to many diplomatic residences, schools and a nearby shopping center.

Pakistan in fragments

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (pictured) and Benazir Bhutto's husband Asif Ali Zardari have decided to form a coalition against President Musharraf in Pakistan. However, since Musharraf's party still controls a number of seats in the parliament, it's likely to result in political deadlock and lots of angry rhetoric between the two sides--much like Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. The terrorists who are targeting Pakistani cities do not seem to care who is in charge though, and they were perfectly willing to remind us of that today.

In my opinion, Nawaz Sharif is unintentionally helping the Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants tear his country apart by taking such misguided actions based on vengeance (Musharraf ousted him from power back in 1999). However, if Nawaz, Zardari, and Musharraf all decided to put aside their differences for the good of the country, shake hands, and pledge to work towards unity even amid clear differences, it would inflict a tremendous hit on the terrorists--because it would send them the message that even after carrying out countless attacks and inflicting harm on thousands of people, they have failed in their attempt to divide the country. Such a move could seriously weaken their morale and their propaganda campaign.

Maybe it would even send a message to the politicians here in the United States, who spend more time looking out for their party than anything. Unfortunately though, this does not look good. If these people find a way to work together, it could bring hope...but if Musharraf is forced to resign and the new government takes ineffective action against the Islamic militants camped out along the border, they could very well be setting the stage for their own destruction. Because with Musharraf gone, and an American ally that could end up electing a president who could take embrace a more "non-interventionist" approach, the opposition might have no one to save them when the Taliban come marching on Islamabad.

Hypocrisy, ignorance, or a little of both?

Yesterday, tensions exploded in the Gaza Strip as Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian militants, leaving some 65 people dead in what is being called the worst violence in years. Israel has been condemned by many in the international community, although the Jewish state shows no sign of backing down as Palestinian rockets continue to pound the Israeli border towns of Sderot and Ashkelon.

My View on this:

The truth is, I think Israel is making a mistake by launching such a massive operation during critical peace talks with the moderate Palestinian government in the West Bank. In fact, they are doing exactly what Hamas wants, which is for the peace process to be destroyed. In the end, I will always defend Israel's right to exist, but if they had responded to this crisis by calling for more peace talks with the moderates even as rockets are being lobbed over the border, it would show the terrorist groups that their efforts have failed and could very well inflict more harm on Hamas' propaganda outlets than any missile or artillery strike.

However, this is where I am confused. As the international community condemns Israel over this so-called "bloodbath", Taliban militants have unleashed all-out chaos across northwestern Pakistan, killing scores of people in a series of suicide bombings and other attacks. On Sunday alone, some 40 people were killed when a bomber blew himself up at a reconciliation meeting among tribal leaders. Just 48 hours earlier, scores of others met a similar fate when another blast ripped through a funeral procession in the scenic Swat Valley. Sadly, the funeral was being held for a police commander who had been killed hours earlier in a roadside attack. Among the dead at the funeral attack was the policeman's 16-year old son.

Where is the outrage over this? Where are the cries for peace and restraint when these evil people unleash their waves of terror upon innocent Muslims? Arab leaders are not referring to this as a "holocaust", even though the casualties caused by these terrorists far outweigh what has been happening in Gaza in recent days. Images of babies killed in Gaza air raids are plastered all over anti-Israel media outlets, but they seem less willing to talk about the young kids who are strapped up with explosives and used as human bombs in Pakistan.

The one good thing the Israelis and the Palestinians have is that there are many international mediators doing everything they can to stop the fighting...and they would be wise to work with them. After all, that is what makes international diplomacy such a useful tool, as opposed to dealing with the matter like Pakistani insurgents and blowing up reconciliation meetings.

If our elections seem tense...

The violence in Pakistan has shown no sign of relenting these past few days with Monday's attack on an election candidate. Nisar Ali was campaigning near the Afghan border when a suicide bomber detonated near his covoy, killing seven of his supporters and injuring Ali. He was originally reported to have been killed, but his party refuted the claims and he is now said to be recovering in a local hospital, according to the AP. This comes after an even more horrific terror attack on Saturday in the northwestern town of Charsadda, where another bomber attacked a political rally for the secular Awami National Party, killing dozens of supporters as they gathered inside of a hall.

Meanwhile, analysts are predicting that Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples' Party could get the sympathy vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections. A landslide victory by the opposition could put President Pervez Musharraf in danger of being removed from office. However, such a move would more than likely further destabilize the country and give the terrorists who are determined to bring down the Musharraf government exactly what they want.

Other developments:

While there's has been a string of negative events happening, there is also some good news to report. A top Taliban commander, Mansoor Dadullah, was wounded and captured by Pakistani forces, scoring a major symbolic victory for the region and its Western Allies. Last year, Dadullah's brother was killed in a battle with NATO forces in Southern Afghanistan.

More on the Pakistan crisis

In a recent editorial (and post on this blog) I suggested that the violence we are seeing in Pakistan today as well as the escalating tension between rival political parties is directly attributed to a broad coalition of terrorists aligned with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. What evidence is there to back up these claims? Well, just look at the attacks on Benazir Bhutto, the attacks on Musharraf, the attacks on Sherpao, and the scores of other terrorists acts that have gone without a claim of responsibility. It's more than likely that the extremists are trying to get the rival parties in Pakistan to fight one another, just as they did in Iraq.

Then there's this, another disturbing example of how brutal these terrorists can be. It also offers further proof of what there intentions can be. Trust me though, I really hope I am wrong when I suggest these things.

This is off the AP:

A suicide bomber blew himself up among police deployed outside a court in eastern Pakistan ahead of a planned anti-government protest Thursday, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens more, officials and witnesses said.

The blast in front of Lahore High Court was the latest in a wave of attacks targeting politicians and security forces ahead of the February 18 parliamentary elections. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but suspicion will likely fall on militants linked to Taliban and al-Qaida.

Independent analysis

I have put together an op-ed I will be submitting to one of my local newspapers. Basically, I offer my analysis on the situation in Pakistan that has boiled over these last couple of days. During that time, I have focused pretty much all of United World's resources on looking into just what is happening over there. Here's my basic conclusion:

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto was carried out by one or more terrorists groups from a larger coalition of Jihadists, both foreign and homegrown, aligned with Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Many of the attacks that have happened this year in Pakistan have gone without a claim of responsibility, probably because the extremist elements seek to create as much chaos as possible between the government of President Musharraf and the opposition party. Recent attacks, including the one I reported on at the mosque last week, seem very similar to the matter in which Benazir was killed. That attack happened to target one of Musharraf's ministers, which pretty much puts down the far-left conspiracy that the government is orchestrating such attacks.

Anyway, that's my analysis so far. Obviously, things could change any minute. Interestingly enough though, this news cross the wires only moments ago...

"ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Two suspected suicide bombers died Sunday when they prematurely detonated their bomb near the residence of a senior leader of the ruling party in eastern Pakistan, police said.

The men were on a motorcycle and were not far away from the residence of Ijazul Haq, a senior leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q party, in the city of Bahawalnagar when their bomb exploded, said Zafar Abbas Bukhari, the district police chief.

The blast was the first suicide attack in Pakistan since the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto on Thursday. Her killing triggered nationwide riots and raised doubts on whether parliamentary elections on Jan. 8 can go ahead as planned."
www.foxnews.com

mmmm...targeting the ruling party. That's a fancy media word for Musharraf's government. But wait a second...the far-left blogs told me that Musharraf is the real culprit behind the attacks. I'm beginning to think that Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles can see what's going on here.

Benazir Bhutto assasinated, fighting rages as cities burn in Pakistan

This past year, our ally Pakistan has been faced with unprecedented violence against civilian and military targets. Sadly, it has only gotten worse. Last week, United World reported the story of the tragic mosque massacre in Pakistan's Northwest in which some 60 innocent Muslim worshippers were killed. In October, terrorists targeted Former Prime Minister and pro-democracy icon Benazir Bhutto as she made her return to her home country. The attackers failed and only succeeded in murdering well over 100 of their fellow Muslims. Today, however, Benazir and over 20 of her supporters were killed in a shooting/suicide bomb attack at a rally in the city of Rawalpindi. The Pakistan Dawn reports:

"RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was killed in a gun and bomb attack after an election rally in the city of Rawalpindi on Thursday. Police said a suicide bomber fired shots at Bhutto as she was leaving the rally venue in a park before blowing himself up. “The man first fired at Bhutto's vehicle. She ducked and then he blew himself up,” said police officer Mohammad Shahid. Police said 16 other people had been killed in the blast, but tv channels said at 20 persons were killed.“ A Reuters witness at the scene of the attack said he had heard two shots moments before the blast. Another Reuters witness saw bodies and a mutilated human head strewn on a road outside the park where she held her rally. People cried and hugged each other outside the hospital where she died and residents of Karachi, Bhutto's home town, said they had heard gun shots after news of Bhutto's death spread, apparently from her enraged supporters. (Posted @ 19:26 PST)"
www.dawn.com

Unprecedented violence...

As was mentioned earlier, Pakistan has been rocked by some of the most horrific terrorist violence in its history this year. Bomb attacks have taken a toll on the civilian population in just about every major city in the country, while the military has been battling pro-Taliban forces in the remote mountains along the border with Afghanistan. President Pervez Musharraf has been repeatedly targeted by Al-Qaeda-linked militants, as well as some of his government ministers. The unfortunate reality is that the situation in Pakistan has been poorly covered in the news, where many media figures are more focused on Iraq than anything else. Once again, we are reminded of the threat posed by terrorism in every corner of the globe.

President Bush has strongly condemned the assassination, while leaders in Europe, Russia, and the Middle East have done the same. Even Iran, a country embroiled in a nuclear standoff with the west and a Shiite rival of Pakistan's Sunni majority, has condemned the attack. Musharraf has declared three days of national mourning and the Pakistani flag is flying at half-staff at the embassy in Washington D.C. Presidential candidates, including John Edwards, Barack Obama, and Mike Huckabee, stand united in denouncing such a reprehensible act of terrorism. Benazir's supporters, however, have taken to the streets and begun rioting.


"Angry supporters of slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto took to the streets of Pakistani cities on Thursday, from the Himalayas to the southern coast. The unrest was predictably fiercest in Bhutto's native Sindh province and its capital, Karachi. “Police in Sindh have been put on red alert,” said a senior police official. “We have increased deployment and are patrolling in all the towns and cities, as there is trouble almost everywhere,” he said. Reports said security was deteriorating in Karachi, where thousands poured on to the streets to protest. At least three banks, a government office and a post office were set on fire, a witness said. Tyres were set on fire on many roads, and shooting and stone-throwing was reported in many places. Most shops and markets in the city shut down. At least 20 vehicles were torched in Sindh’s second biggest town of Hyderabad. There were also small protests in Rawalpindi and the nearby capital, Islamabad. Protesters blocked roads with burning tyres and chanted anti-Musharraf slogans in Muzaffarabad, capital of Azad Kashmir. Police said they had been ordered to block the main road between Punjab province and Sindh province, apparently to stop the movement of protesters. Disturbances were also reported in the southeastern city of Multan, although details were sketchy. In Lahore, capital of Punjab province, Bhutto party workers burnt three buses and damaged several other vehicles, police said. (Posted @ 22:38 PST)"
www.dawn.com

My opinion on this...

I was watching the news the morning and heard a guest on the Fox News Channel suggest the Pakistani government could have been behind the killing of Bhutto. Conspiracy theories are sure to be flying all over the left-wing blogs. Such theories are obviously coming from someone who knows very little about Pakistan or Islamic terrorism. To those people, I ask you...was Musharraf behind the bombing that targeted one of his ministers last week in the Charsadda Mosque? Was he behind the attack that nearly took his own life in 2003, when car bombs targeted his passing motorcade? Or what about the October attack where a bomber attempted to slip into his office but killed seven people instead? There is no doubt in my mind that Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and their allies are doing everything possible to destabilize the country and inflict suffering on all those who refuse to submit to their extreme ideology. Once again, the victims of today's attack were all Muslims, including Benazir Bhutto. She fought hard for democracy and stability for the people of her country only to be wiped out by a homicidal maniac determined to bring all of that down. It's safe to say that these murderers are not Muslims, just as Benazir said back in October, a day before coordinated blasts targeted her homecoming rally. Surely the gates of hell, if there is such a place, will swing wide open to welcome the "martyrdom seeking" fanatic who fired the bullets and set off the explosion at the pro-democracy rally today.

The situation is sure to only get worse, with all sides in Pakistan calling for the upcoming elections to be canceled. At this point in time, all we can do is pray for peace and hope that Musharraf can stabilize the country before it falls into total anarchy.

Is there anything more to say?

Last month I took it upon myself to visit a mosque in San Francisco and see for myself just what Islam is all about. It has been over three weeks since that experience and since then I have been attacked in blogs and newspapers for daring to say that the vast majority of Muslims are indeed good people. At the same time, the crazy liberals on the left continue to rant about how the threat of terrorism is completely hyped up and is nothing more than a cover for the Bush administration to strip away our civil liberties.

Well, I hope both sides got to hear about this story...

Earlier today, a terrorist most likely linked to the Taliban or Al-Qaeda walked into a mosque packed with holiday worshippers in NW Pakistan and detonated a nail bomb packed with 15 pounds of explosives. Scores of people were killed, and the apparent target of the attack was a government minister loyal to President Pervez Musharraf. Interestingly enough, the minister was the target of another assassination attempt earlier in April, when a bomb hit a rally he was speaking at. It's a well known fact that the Pakistani government is embroiled in a violent power struggle with Taliban militants in the mountains of the country, but seeing that the terrorists would actually attack a mosque on Friday prayers during the celebration of the Eid holiday is absolutely despicable. It's even more disgusting that these people claim to be fighting under the banner of Islam while having no problem with slaughtering scores of innocent worshippers. Sadly, this is not the first time these inhuman people do such things. Mosques hosting soldiers or other government figures have been hit by terrorism not only in Pakistan, but in Afghanistan and Iraq as well.

For all you crazy people on the left who deny terrorism is a legitimate concern, what do you think of this? Is this George Bush's fault as well? Coupling today's horrific event with with the terrorist attacks that decimated the city of Algiers earlier this month, I think it can be said that terrorism is very much a threat to global stability.

For all you ignorant people on the right, do you still think "all" Muslims sympathize with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda murdering their own people? The fact is, most of the victims of so-called "Islamic" terrorism over the last 25 years have been Muslims, as opposed to the Christians and Jews Islam is said to be opposed to.

Although I growing number of people want to deny it, terrorism is a growing danger to all of us all over the world. This year alone has seen repeated attack all over North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and even Europe. India, Thailand, and Somalia have also been hit as well. But if we are to counter this threat we need to recognize that the 1.2 billion Muslims in the world are not all the enemy. We are fighting a deranged, evil group of people who hijack religion as a means to recruit followers, and it poses just as much, if not more of a danger, to Muslims as it does to any one of us in the west.

Bomber rams school bus in Pakistan...

A suicide car bomber slammed a car packed with explosives into a school bus carrying students of military families in NW Pakistan on Monday, highlighting the barbarity of the enemy we are facing. The initial reports say eight children and the driver were wounded in the attack. This comes only 24 hours after another bomber killed 10 people--civilains and police--at a security checkpoint in the scenic Swat Valley. Why anyone...even an Islamic terrorist, would ever do such a thing I do not know. What was accomplished? How does this promote their cause or any cause at all? This just shows us how dangerous the world has become and, just like the previous post below, reminds us that there are some pretty evil people out there.

Siege of terror continues in Pakistan

Pakistan's President, General Pervez Musharraf, imposed a state of emergency in the country amidst the unprecendented violence taking a toll on the local population. Now everyone seems to be critical of Musharraf's decision, but I absolutely feel it was the right thing to do. Earlier today, Islamic terrorists kidnapped over 100 security forces in the northwest and overran two police checkpoints. These past couple of weeks, bombings, shootings, and clashes between soldiers and insurgents have left hundreds of people dead. Major Pakistani cities are under siege from suicide bombers, one of whom attempted to get into Musharraf's office earlier this week and killed seven people when police prevented him from getting through. With all this terror gripping his nation, Musharraf has every right to declare a state of emergency or even marshal law if he feels the need to. I'm dissapointed in President Bush's response to this situation. The White House is saying its concerned that Pakistan's "democratic future" is in danger, and far left fanatics who embrace Mahmoud Ahmadinejad condemn Musharraf as a dictator when nothing could be further from the truth. Under his leadership, Pakistan's economy, military strength, technology, and democracy have flourished. In recent months, Islamic terrorists have dragged the country back into turmoil, just as they are attempting to do in Iraq. If Musharraf falls, we're all screwed. Last year, when Israel invaded Lebanon to defend itself from HEzbollah guerillas, the USA defended Israel from the very beginning because they are our ally. Well, Pakistan is one of our allies too, and they are facing an even more dangerous threat. We should be defending Musharraf every step of the way as he tries to rid his country of people our military only has to worry about fighting overseas.

Showing support...

I just placed an order for an 2x3 foot Pakistani flag to show my support for the Pakistanis as they face down terrorism in light of the horrific Oct. 18th Karachi bombings. Also, I ordered a 4x6 inch Israeli flag to support Israel in their fight against extremism. Right now, Israel and Pakistan are probably America's two biggest allies in the war on terrorism. In times like these, its just as important to support our allies as it is to support our own country.