Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Elder of ZiyonAn Irish woman who crossed a breached border into Gaza with her daughter said Wednesday that border guards were preventing them from returning to Egypt.As we all know, Gaza is an open-air prison run by the heartless Zionists. So this must be Israel's fault, by definition.
Treasa Ni Cheannabhain said she and her daughter, an Egyptian national, entered Gaza on Saturday, more than a week after Hamas militants knocked down the border wall.
As hundreds of thousands of Palestinians flooded into Egypt, Ni Cheannabhain, 56, said she sneaked into Gaza with her 19-year-old daughter, Naisrin el-Safty, to distribute money to needy Gazans.
Egyptian guards resealed the border Sunday, ending the 12-day breach. Ni Cheannabhain said she had not heard warnings that the crossing would close.
The pair tried to return to Egypt late Tuesday, but were stopped by Egyptian border guards.
"I admitted I entered illegally, but we want to come back in legally," Ni Cheannabhain said in a telephone interview from the border town of Rafah.
Ni Cheannabhain is married to an Egyptian physician.
Ireland's Foreign Ministry is trying to help but only Egypt can authorize the pair's return, a ministry spokesman said.
"The Egyptian authorities apparently are refusing to let her cross back over to Egypt," said the spokesman on customary condition of anonymity.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008Elder of ZiyonAround 2,000 men from different Arab countries entered the Gaza Strip, after the toppling of the Rafah border wall, wanting to join the Palestinian resistance against Israel, reliable Palestinian sources told Ma'an on Wednesday.Amazing what years of non-stop incitement can do to people. When millions grow up hearing how evil the Jews are and how dying while fighting them guarantees you a place in Paradise, it is no wonder that thousands of them want to join the bandwagon of hate and terror.
Sources within Hamas told Ma'an that the men, many of whom are Egyptian young men offered to join the Palestinian resistance. He added that Hamas expressed its appreciation for the solidarity shown by the move. However, he added that Palestinian resistance factions are not interested in foreign fighters.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008Elder of ZiyonTEHRAN -- A young Iranian man has been sentenced to hang for repeatedly drinking alcohol which is strictly banned in the Islamic republic, the Etemad newspaper reported on Wednesday.See how lenient the Iranians were in not hanging him after the third offense?The 22-year-old, identified only as Mohsen, was handed down the death penalty by a criminal court after being found guilty of drinking alcohol for a fourth time, the daily said.
"The defendant in this case has been sentenced to death and the official notification will be given soon," it quoted Judge Jalil Jalili as saying.
"According to article 179 of the Islamic penal code, if someone drinks twice and is punished for it on each occasion he should be executed on the third offence," Jalili said.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008Elder of ZiyonUN rights chief reversal on anti-Semitic Arab charter
In an unprecedented reversal, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour has backed off from her earlier endorsement of an Arab text calling for the “elimination” of Zionism, in response to a UN Watch protest. News of the controversy was covered internationally, sparking a series of Canadian newspaper editorials critical of Ms. Arbour’s initial statement and her overall handling of the affair.
Following is a timeline of the events as they unfolded around the globe.
Jan. 24, 2008, Geneva: High Commissioner Arbour issues an official statement: “I welcome the 7th ratification required to bring the Arab Charter on Human Rights into force... the Arab Charter on Human Rights is an important step forward [to] help strengthen the enjoyment of human rights.” At U.N. headquarters in New York, Marie Okabe, spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, highlights Arbour’s statement. When asked, she does not have the text of the charter.
Jan. 25, 2008, United Arab Emirates: The Arab world takes note of Arbour’s support for the Arab Charter, prominently featured in this article by the United Arab Emirates news agency.
Jan. 28, 2008, Geneva: UN Watch is the first to speak out, exposing the hateful provisions in the Arab Charter, and demanding action from Arbour. UN Watch sends her a detailed letter:...[click on link for full description]
Jan. 30, 2008, Geneva & New York: Arbour changes course. Now she asserts that various Arab Charter provisions are “incompatible” with international norms. The UN headquarters in New York issues a new release, entitled “Arab rights charter deviates from international standard.”
Wednesday, February 06, 2008Elder of ZiyonThe Israeli ambassador to Egypt, Shalom Cohen, called for the Hebrew language be taught in Egyptian schools on Tuesday evening . The suggestion has provoked an angry response from Egyptian political parties who claimed that the demand came as part of the Camp David peace accords between Israel and Egypt in 1978.The fact that Egyptians are worried that hundreds of millions of Arabs could "assimilate" into Israeli society betrays a deep insecurity in their own culture. The fact that an Egyptian politician can even utter a sentence such as "the Hebrew language does not possess any heritage or civilization" also shows how hate can trump common sense.
Jamal Zahran, an independent Egyptian lawmaker, told the Al-Khalij daily newspaper based in the United Arab Emirates that the Israeli ambassador’s comment reflected Israeli efforts to encourage the Egyptian young people to learn the Hebrew language and travel to Israel to ‘assimilate in its society.’
He criticized the Egyptian government for remaining silent in the wake of Cohen’s comments. Zahran urged Egypt to announce its rejection of the demand and to warn Israel against what he called intervention in internal Egyptian affairs.
"The Hebrew language does not possess any heritage or civilization, and it is spoken by very few people, and so Egypt can't adopt it in its schools as a foreign language," the deputy president of the Nasserite party, Husam Issa said. He described the Israeli ambassador's demand as "stupidity and triviality" and reminded the ambassador that most of the Egyptian people antagonize the Israeli government for its brutality against the Arabs in general and the Palestinian people in particular.
An unexpected new trend among Egyptian university students... Hebrew language studies. Foreign Ministry data indicate that over 1,400 Egyptian students are currently enrolled in full-time Hebrew studies programs.
More than 10 Egyptian Universities currently offer Hebrew courses, usually as part of Oriental Language faculties that also teach Turkish and Persian.
Two major Egyptian universities, Ain Shams University and al-Azhar University, even boast a separate Hebrew language faculty. This is a major accomplishment, especially in universities that are considered bastions of strong anti-Israel sentiments.
One Hebrew lecturer, an Egyptian that has never visited Israel, recently told an Israeli diplomat that he teaches his students Hebrew through “Ha'Gashash Ha'chiver” comedy skits and Israeli music.
The lecturer even asked the Israeli diplomat for new movies to show his students, stressing that they must show absolutely no sex or nudity, or he could be charged with corrupting his students with Israeli pornography.
State officials explained that this burgeoning interest in the Hebrew language stems mostly from Egyptian curiosity, but also of a keen desire to “know the enemy”. Many students are sent to Hebrew studies programs by Egyptian intelligence, who frown upon students who study Hebrew of their own initiative.
Students who attend the Israeli academic Center or frequent the Israeli embassy in Cairo are likewise harassed by security personnel, who incessantly question them and often warn them not to return. Those few students brave enough to attend Hebrew lecturers are deemed highly courageous.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008Elder of Ziyon
self-deathThe situation in Gaza represents misery, not only for the Palestinians but also for all civilized people of the world.The West is preoccupied with human rights issues in the Middle East and the collapse of the American economy when children of Gaza are dying because of the blockade. Hunger, cold, darkness, pain and blood covering women and children and many other traumas are part of the bigger picture.
...The situation in Gaza represents a slap in the face of the civilized world. Children are living outdoors, women are dying from bullets and old people are freezing to death.
I wrote:
I have been following the events in Gaza pretty closely, and I do not recall any children dying (besides a very few who were already extremely ill), I do not recall anyone starving to death nor do I recall anyone freezing to death. Do you by any chance have names and the circumstances?
And if not, why does the Arab News keep publishing absurd lies like these? Self-perpetuating myths that incite hundreds of millions of Arabs is not quite the best way to get to a peaceful solution.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008Elder of Ziyonmedia bias
Israelis stand near the grave of Lyubov Razdolskaya, 73, killed in a suicide attack in Dimona Monday, after her funeral in the southern Israeli town of Beer Sheva, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2008.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008Elder of ZiyonThe earliest reference of a SA outside the context of warfare has been suggested to be the Biblical story of the Amorites attacking the Jews: “The Amorite who dwell on that mountain went out against you and pursued you as the bees would do; they struck you in Seir until Hormah.” The 11th century French rabbi Rashi suggested this to mean that the Amorites attacked like bees do, i.e. stinging and then dying.Apparently this came from a Wikipedia entry that has since been discarded.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008Elder of Ziyonself-deathOn Saturday 2 February, at approximately 19:00, the body of Ahmad Eyad Bilal (15) was brought to Shifa Hospital in Gaza city. According to preliminary PCHR investigations, Ahmed Bilal, from Sheikh Radwan district in Gaza city, was killed by a bullet to the chest fired from an unknown source. The victim’s family informed PCHR that Ahmed was walking with his father in Nafaq St, northeast Gaza city, when a stray bullet hit him in the chest.
Monday, February 04, 2008Elder of Ziyonsaudi vice
As the Commission knows well, it is far better for a woman to be alone in a car with two male commission members than in a Starbucks with any other man.“I told (the commission member) that I am a good Muslim, a mother of three, and a God-fearing person who would never do shameful things,” she told Arab News in tears.
Last year, the Interior Ministry issued a ruling that the commission cannot detain people and must pass them on to the police.
Yara said that she was handed a confession.
“He told me I needed to fingerprint this paper stating that I got my mobile phone and bag back,” she said. “When I told him my phone was still confiscated, he threatened me: ‘Just do it!’”
She said that she fingerprinted the paper under duress.
“I had no other choice ... I was scared for my life ... I was afraid that they would abuse me or do something to me,” she said, as she broke down in tears again.
Then another person got into the GMC and switched on the engine.
The disgusting, immoral man is still in detention.“The next thing I saw from the window was that we were approaching a place with a sign written on the outside: Malaz Prison,” she said.
Inside the prison, Yara recounts being taken to a cell with a one-way mirror. On the other side was a sheikh.
“I could not see him because there was a dark window,” she said, adding that each time she paused he would reprimand her, telling her what she did was wrong. “He kept on telling me this is not allowed.”
Yara told the sheikh that her husband knew where she was and what she was doing. He then started writing a report. Another pre-written confession was fingerprinted, she said. She pleaded with prison authorities to contact her husband.
“They would not let me contact my husband,” she said. “I told them... please... my husband will have a heart attack if he does not know what has happened to me.”
She was not given a phone to call her husband. She was not given access to a lawyer. “They stripped me,” she said. “They checked that I had nothing with me and threw me in the cell with all the others.”
The brave men of the Commission managed to keep the streets of Riyadh free from vice for another day.
And we can all breathe easier that the "family section" of Starbucks in Riyadh is a safe place where the virtue and honor of women are respected.
Monday, February 04, 2008Elder of ZiyonA controversial new electronic device could revolutionize the field of Islamic jurisprudence and allegedly issue more accurate Shariah fatwas [religious edicts]. The device, currently in production in France, will be known as the 'Electronic Mufti' and will depend on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to issue opinions on contemporary Muslim affairs and matters.
Asharq Al-Awsat met with the only Arab participating in the production of this machine, Engineer Dr. Anas Fawzi, who hails from Egypt and is a communications expert who is part of the team based in France.
He describes the device as "a very large capacity computer on which all the information that is relevant to a given [historical] figure is uploaded; everything that has been mentioned in history books or chronicled documents that indicate his/her responses and attitudes towards all positions adopted in his/her life. Through a process that relies on AI, the computer then simulates responses based on the available data so that the answers are the expected response that the person in question would give if they were alive," said Dr. Fawzi.
"The device deduces the expected response through consulting thousands of examples that have been uploaded on to the machine, pertaining to that person whilst taking into account their reactions so that it may relate the expected response in accordance with their personality as created by the Artificial Intelligence apparatus," explained Dr. Fawzi.
Dr. Fawzi said, "Although a team has assembled and uploaded all the information that is available about the Prophet Mohammed in [canonical] Islamic history books, the holy Quran and what is known about his life through Sunnah," he acknowledges that it would be highly controversial – if not downright contentious – to implement this.Notwithstanding, he revealed, "I have consulted with several Islamic scholars and clerics in elevated positions – there is no need to mention their names so as to avoid stirring up public opinion – however, they have assured me that such a device is not 'haram' [prohibited by Islam]. But there are fears and scepticism regarding misuse and causing any misrepresentation or defamation to the figure of the Prophet. There are also fears in terms of Arab and Islamic public opinion and their acceptance of a machine such as this."
Regarding the views of various Islamic scholars and clerics about this device, the Egyptian Awqaf [Religious Endowments] Ministry's First Undersecretary for Preaching Affairs, Dr. Shawqi Abdel Latif said with regards to the concept of 'simulating' the figure of the Prophet of Islam to serve the Islamic religion in accordance with special conditions: "the idea is a noble one if indeed it calls for Muslim unity in matters of religion in light of the satellite [channel] wars that the Muslim endure, in addition to the incapability of the relevant bodies of formulating and setting forth ideas in the interest of Muslims. However, I strongly stress that there is no machine or human mind capable of simulating the figure of the Prophet regardless of their knowledge or immensely advanced technological capabilities."
He also added that, "God Almighty blessed the Prophet and chose him and you cannot transcend over the rest of the creatures to be like him; the true differentiating factor here is Revelation. The incorrect interpretation of the Quranic verse 'Say: I am only a mortal like you' (Surat al Kahf 18:110) does not in any way mean that there is any similitude between us and the Prophet or between him and any famous figure that the machine can simulate."
I wonder if the AI Mohammed is better than this one?
Monday, February 04, 2008Elder of ZiyonunrwaGaza is on the threshold of becoming the first territory to be intentionally reduced to a state of abject destitution, with the knowledge, acquiescence and — some would say — encouragement of the international community. An international community that professes to uphold the inherent dignity of every human being must not allow this to happen....You see, PalArabs cannot be held responsible for electing terrorists. They can have no repercussions for overwhelmingly supporting terror attacks. They are victims - no matter what they do.
As the head of a humanitarian and human development agency for Palestinian refugees, I am deeply concerned by the stark inhumanity of Gaza’s closure. I am disturbed by the seeming indifference of much of the world as hundreds and thousands of Palestinians are harshly penalized for acts in which they have no part.
In today’s Gaza how can we foster a spirit of moderation and compromise among Palestinians, or cultivate a belief in the peaceful resolution of disputes?And when exactly has UNRWA done any of that? Their coddling of "refugees" and adamant refusal to solve the problem, along with a long history of tolerating terrorists in their own camps (remember Lebanon last year?) has the exact opposite effect. Moreover, when the UNRWA was supposedly "fostering the spirit of moderation" was when Israel was subject to daily suicide bombings. And the de facto loosening of Gaza's border last week directly resulted in scores of terrorists moving from Gaza to the Sinai as well as many more moving into Gaza from training camps in Syria and elsewhere. Are these examples of "cultivating a belief in peaceful resolution of disputes"?
There has never been a more urgent need for the international community to act to restore normality in Gaza. Hungry, unhealthy, angry communities do not make good partners for peace.Better than sated, healthy, and even angrier communities, something that UNRWA never tried to stop.
Monday, February 04, 2008Elder of Ziyon
While there are a number of wire service photos of disgusting Palestinian Arabs celebrating the death of an Israeli woman in a shopping mall with flowers and candy, that information has not been deemed newsworthy by almost all news organizations. The only exceptions at this time are Canada.com and Swissinfo.
Buy EoZ's book, PROTOCOLS: EXPOSING MODERN ANTISEMITISM
