Iran and Pakistan are currently bitching and moaning about the cartoons that appeared in a Swedish paper that make Mohammed look like the dog he is.
Iran summoned a Swedish diplomat to its foreign ministry on Monday to protest against a cartoon in a Swedish newspaper depicting the head of Prophet Muhammad on a dog’s body, Sweden’s foreign ministry said.
“Gunilla von Bahr, Sweden’s charge d’affaires, was summoned to the Iranian foreign ministry today where she received a protest from the Iranian government,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Anna Björkander told AFP.
The Iranian government told Von Bahr the cartoon was “offensive to Prophet Muhammad,” Björkander said, refusing to disclose any further details of the meeting.
The cartoon was drawn by Swedish artist Lars Vilks, whose series of drawings of the prophet as a dog have sparked a controversy in Sweden. Several art galleries refused to display the sketches amid fears of angry reactions from Muslims.
The Orebro local newspaper Nerikes Allehanda published one of the drawings on August 18 to illustrate an editorial on self-censorship and freedom of religion.
So far, Sweden and the newspaper are standing firm. We’ll see.
Nerikes Allehanda editor-in-chief Ulf Johansson met with Lamhamdi but refused to apologize for the cartoon, which was part of an Aug. 19 editorial criticizing several Swedish art galleries for refusing to display a series of prophet drawings by Vilks.
“They say they are offended and I regret that, because our purpose was not to offend anyone,” Johansson told The Associated Press. “But they are asking for an apology and a promise that I never again publish a similar image … and that I cannot do.”
Naturally, if you cover the Virgin Mary in a burqa and stick a towel on the head of Jesus, that’s no problem for Islam as Neptunus Lex points out:
Thousands of angry Christians poured into their businesses Thursday morning, as word leaked out about an Australian art show featuring a holographic image of Jesus morphing into Osama bin Laden. Hundreds of people went uninjured and no one was killed, while shops throughout the Christian world opened their doors, citing a lack of security concerns. Hundreds of Australian flags went untorched while Australian beer was poured into glasses in pubs on the eerily quiet streets of Christendom.
Ah yes, all those Christian riots… I remember the last one was about, uhhhh, well….
Actually, I don’t recall any Christian riots. And in Austrailia, where burqa Mary and Osama Jesus are depicted as art, there didn’t seem to be any reported threats of death to non-Christians because of it.
Funny, that.
Then again, it just makes me sleepy to hear about “another” insult to Islam.
**yawn**
September 1st, 2007
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The ISNA (Islamic Society of North America) is having a “conference” this weekend and it has caused several lawmakers to criticize the Justice Department for supporting this conference by participating in it:
Republican lawmakers are urging the Justice Department not to participate in a convention held by the Islamic Society of North America — a group named as an unindicted co-conspirator in an ongoing terrorism-financing case.
In a letter to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, Reps. Peter Hoekstra of Michigan, ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Sue Myrick of North Carolina called the Justice Department’s involvement a “grave mistake.”
“In light of the threat that our nation is currently facing from radical jihadists, and because of the president’s commitment to fighting the war on terror on all fronts, we believe it is a grave mistake to provide legitimacy to an organization with extremist origins, leadership and a radical agenda,” the lawmakers said.
Of course, the ISNA is a classical front group for the Muslim Brotherhood and also an unidicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation trial now in progress. But the ISNA and CAIR are brothers of the same family whose funding is predominantly from two countries - Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In another article which simply recites the facts, Investor’s Business Daily (not exactly the most “politically motivated” publication one could find for this) indicates the deep involvement of CAIR and ISNA sources to Mecca:
But many of the things CAIR’s leaders claim and what we later learn from the factual record don’t square.
For instance, they’ve claimed that they get no foreign support and that their funding comes from local dues. In fact, the bulk of their support comes from two Arab countries tied to 9/11 - Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
They’ve claimed that the size of the Muslim population in America is 7 million. In fact, it’s closer to 2 million.
They’ve claimed that they’re mainstream American patriots, when in fact they’ve told Muslim audiences that they want the Quran to replace the Constitution as the “highest authority in America.”
They’ve also claimed that they don’t support terrorism, even as three senior employees have been jailed in terror-related cases.
Yea, well, actions speak louder than words. And words are all about the game that CAIR and the ISNA are playing. Their actions are coming under more and more scrutiny by the Justice Department and by Americans. From the same article comes, again, simple facts:
For the first time, evidence in a major federal terror case puts CAIR’s current executive director — Nihad Awad — at a Philadelphia meeting of alleged Hamas leaders that was secretly recorded by the FBI.
After the Associated Press last week reported the bombshell, CAIR denied claims of ties to Hamas. “That’s one of those urban legends about CAIR,” said Parvez Ahmed, CAIR’s chairman. “It’s fed by the right-wing, pro-Israeli blogosphere.”
In fact, the evidence was revealed by an FBI agent who testified at the terror-financing trial under way in Dallas.
And that ISNA conference that legislators don’t want the Justice Department to support this weekend? Guess who the keynote speaker is? Keith Ellison - America’s Muslim Congressman. From Little Green Footballs:
As we noted yesterday, several Republican lawmakers have called on the Justice Department not to participate in a conference held this weekend by the Islamic Society of North America—a Muslim Brotherhood front group named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terror trial.
Despite those troubling connections, Muslim Congressman Keith Ellison will be a keynote speaker at the conference and will also participate in a panel discussion featuring Siraj Wahhaj—an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, who has openly expressed a desire to see the US government replaced by a caliphate.
From the ISNA program (available at their site) for Saturday, September 1, 2007:
12:15-2:30 p.m. Community Service Recognition Luncheon — Grand Ballroom-Hyatt Regency
The Mahboob Khan Community Service Award will be presented to a prominent community leader for his/her outstanding service to the Muslim community in North America. Check at the ISNA booth in the bazaar for tickets. (Tickets are $200, if seats are still available).
Keynote Speaker: U.S. Congressman Keith Ellison
That’s not all - Ellison was to be the “Grand Marshall” of the parade in New York for “American Muslim Day”:
According to one blog written by Ellison supporter Abdi Aynte, the Congressman’s office claims that he “declined the offer to be the grand marshal a long time ago because he has other obligations in the district.” Yet a flyer announcing Ellison as Grand Marshal of this year’s parade was placed on MFA’s website just last week. The flyer contains a picture of Ellison and reads, “22nd American Muslim Day Parade… Grand Marshall Congressman Keith Ellison and other National Muslim Leaders.”
The change of content on the MFA site has fueled speculation that the Congressman had cancelled his appearance due to recent reports about the extremism of individuals and groups that are or have been associated with the parade. Past Marshals of the parade have been found to be Islamist radicals. They include unindicted co-conspirator of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, Siraj Wahhaj, and accused death squad leader of the 1971 Bangladesh genocide, Ashrafuzzaman Khan. As well, many of the organizations co-sponsoring the parade have various ties to militant Islamic groups.
But there’s nothing to worry about here. As CAIR notes - it’s just a support group for Muslims. And for all that support, they get to train their kids in madrassas - on US public tax dollars. Michelle Malkin has that.
Seems that you can tell exactly when CAIR and the ISNA want to bash the truth.
Whenever they open their mouth.
September 1st, 2007
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