from Leeds to Palestine

Angry Arab continues his descent

2011-12-02T16:33:00.004Z

In article for the pro-Bashar Lebanese Al-Akbar newspaper, Angry Arab continues his descent into bitterness, conspiracy theory and flawed analysis. The Islamists have won because people are tired of Western backed liberals and so-called 'leftists' destroying their country and being mere tools of Israeli and US interest.

His second paragraph especially is so full of bullshit; I don’t even know where to begin:

The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood forgot about its past objection to the Egyptian-Israeli treaty, while the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood dispatched its former leader to reassure Israelis on Israeli TV. An-Nahda’s Ghannushi wanted to preserve all the key financial appointments of Bin `Ali and had dispatched the secretary general of his party to reassure Zionists in Washington think tanks. In Morocco, Bin Kiran (head of the Justice and Development Party) is a different story altogether because he has been a loyal royal Islamist who would not challenge the pro-Israeli and neoliberal policies of his master. But the story of Islamist victories may be overblown.

The Egyptian MB still is against the peace treaty but will not annul it at the moment because they are not idiots, are patient and understand that now is not the moment to open a front against Israel - they know when to pick their fights. Angry Arab's hero Nasser did not have this foresight and we lost all of Palestine because of his bluster. The Tunisian Al-Nahda have said in no uncertain terms that they will not have relations with Israel, Ghannoushi was pretty clear about this, saying that they are an occupying power and they will not recognise them:

The Syrian MB's leader Ali Bayanoni's gave an interview with an Israeli reporter in which he said if Israel withdraws to the 1967 borders, then there will be a peace - he gave no further clarifications as to what this peace entails. In any case, this position is supported by the majority of Palestinians. I dont know enough about Moroccan Islamists so I cant comment on their relationship with the king.

This is the kind of discourse that surrounds the issue of Islamists in left-wing circles - a discourse litterred with inaccuacies and downright lies. People like this professor have never gotten over the increased religosity of the Arab people and their rejection of secular forces and so resort to these smears.

With expectations like these from those out-of touch, living in the cold-war era, extreme secularists like the professor here then in their eyes the Islamists are of course destined to lose. Saifedean Ammous said the biggest scam in the Arab world is that the revolutionary secular left destroyed Iraq, Syria, Libya and Egypt and yet they insist the problem lies or will lie with the Islamists. The Arab people have spoken professor so by all means, continue in your arrogant condescending tone against your people who you claim to respect and speak for - they have rejected the likes of you and put their trust in Islamic forces. Live with it.

Are Egyptians repeating the same mistakes as the Palestinians when they voted Hamas?

2011-12-02T16:01:00.005Z

This was initially a response to GAZA Youth Break Out tweet but I thought I would post it as a blog entry:

I think what the last weeks and months have shown is that when it comes to support on the ground, secularists and liberals in general have very little/limited support. We sometimes forget, when reading blogs and other social media that most Palestinians and Arabs dont actually read English-language blogs and that their strong showing on social media is not an accurate reflection of the reality. Bloggers like GazaYBO dont actually represent Palestinian Gazan public opinion (all due respect to them of course) but they have a presence here because many international supporters of Palestinians are hungry for a 'liberal' anti-Israel alternative to Hamas. And the experience of Palestinians with Hamas is a different matter altogether. Islamists in Tunisia and Egypt are not suffering from a siege, they have control of their borders and they were not subject to a CIA-backed coup attempt in 2007 a year after they were democratically elected.

However, Hamas rule has been blighted by cracking down on political freedom and political prisoners but I would argue that after they routed Dahlan 4 years ago, Hamas made the mistake of giving too much power to the Executive force - when security forces have too much power then political oppression and violence ensues. On the other hand, if Hamas did not have such control in Gaza, their political and military leaders would have been killed in the Gaza war of 2008/2009 - I say this from a pro-resistance point of view. It is to Hamas' credit that they never bowed down on the Quartet conditions, that they held to Shalit all this time. We must accept that they were never given a chance to truly deliver on their program. Unfortunately, Hamas did not stamp out nepotism but actively engaged in it and have not solved Gaza's economic problems. Of course, this is due to the siege but Hamas is still responsible to find a solution and they have not done so. Inshallah, Egypt and Tunisia will not be punished for choosing an 'Islamist' party and they can show what happens when you merge taqwa (piety) and brains together :)

New single for Palestine aims to make it into the charts

2011-06-01T16:38:00.008+01:00

One world, a coalition of UK artists including members of Faithless are releasing a new single entitled 'Freedom for Palestine':

The single has received an endorsement from Coldplay much to the ire of their Israeli fans. Some of the comments are - naturally - racist, others are downright idiotic:

Coldplay = Hitler lovers

'reality is Palastine is an area that was once belong to Jordan and the "palastine" people are refugees from Jordan!'

'Wtf you have millions of fans in israel and you stand with terrorists??'

'These people are TERRORISTS and they have NO RIGHT to have freedom, unless they change their ideology'

It looks like the video is going to go viral and they havent even released the single yet, they're planning to do so at the beginning of July so there is a real chance this could get into the charts.

You can pre-order the single from iTunes or from HMV. You have more than a month between now and the 3rd of July to tell your friends, family and post it all over social media. I will be following this campaign and will be updating this page. Do your part and this can happen.

UPDATE - 3rd June 2011: The video has indeed gone viral, chalking up more than 120,000 hits in less than 3 days (the video was uploaded on the 23rd but only made public 3 days ago). On another note, do not be fooled by the amount of dislikes the video has been given. It has received HUGE attention in the Israeli and pro-Israeli press, being reported in Haaretz, Yediot Ahranot, The Jerusalem Post, The Jewish Chronicle and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Now, Glenn Beck has given the single a plug! Watch him having a nervous breakdown culminating in tears, notice the hysteria in his voice when he says this song is about 'human rights and justice for all':

He also mentions Britain2Gaza, the British contingent of the upcoming flotilla to Gaza. All this amounts to some good exposure for the One World team, increasing the chance that this may get into the charts. They have seized on the publicity granted to them by Fox News urging people to buy the single that made Glenn Beck cry! It is a mark of the righteousness of this cause that so many Israelis and supporters of occupation are barely able to contain themselves. Just remember, buy the single!

UPDATE - 13th June 2011: The link to the single on Coldplay's wall has been removed not by the British band but by Facebook:

Coldplay did not remove link from its Facebook page. Facebook removed the link because thousands of people (and computer generated posts) reported it as abusive

As further evidence that Coldplay did NOT withdraw their endorsement of the single, their tweet on their twitter account is still up.

Of course, there have been many further endorsements for this single such as from Lush, Alice Walker, Lowkey and Benjamin Zephaniah. A illuminating interview with the man behind the single Dave Randall reveals another big endorsement in the pipeline from the second most famous South African in the world (after Nelson Mandela) Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Shocking tales of rape emerge in Libya

2011-05-30T17:33:00.006+01:00

Rape as a weapon has largely been absent in the Arab world, it was usually confined to central and Western Africa but Gadaffi - the 'king of kings' - has ordered his forces to rape those Libyans who dared to defy him. The reports coming in from Misrata (whose people have successfully defended their city against Gadaffi forces) are especially stomach churning:

The soldiers, shouting and waving their guns, stripped the four older girls in front of the family and took them into the next room where they raped the young women. The girls screamed and cried for mercy, calling on Allah. A soldier at one point yells: "Gaddafi is our Allah."

I wont say anymore, just read the full article. Suffice to say that Gadaffi has cemented his role as the most brutal and sadistic of all our Arab dictators.

New documentary about the war on Gaza - 'A story of war'

2011-05-30T16:41:00.003+01:00

Produced by mediatown in Gaza, not a lot of high definition footage of Gaza so this really is a gem:

BBC censors 'Palestine' & 'Gaza Strip' from rappers lyrics

2011-05-26T03:55:00.008+01:00

A few months ago, the Guardian brought our attention to the censorship of the word 'Palestine' from Mic Righteous' freestyle on Radio 1Xtra. See for yourself, at 2:57 what he actually said was

"I can still scream Free Palestine for my pride, still pray for peace..."

Instead, the BBC masked 'Free Palestine' with a sound effect of broken glass:

The BBC claimed 'impartiality' as the reason for their censorship. Well we all know where the BBC stands given its refusal to air a humanitarian appeal for Gaza at the height of the massacre in 2009 but the BBC are at it again - this time with another rapper on the same show! The UK rapper Bigz use of the offensive words 'Gaza Strip' was again censored. At 2:10, what Bigz actually said was:

"Who you know who's as hard as this?
Arsonist, bringing more fire than the Gaza Strip
I'm lightning, like Tyson..."

The video: (has been taken down)

Throughout these two tracks, you hear a lot of expletives being censored (fuck, nigger etc.) but to place 'Palestine' and 'Gaza Strip' in the same category truly beggars belief. Now, Mic Righteous and Lowkey have urged people not to target Charlie Sloth (it was on his show that this censorship occurred). From Mic Righteous:

"Understand it’s a sensitive issue but I beg certain people stop targeting my brudda Charlie Sloth about this fire in the booth censorship incident. Charlie gave me a chance before any other radio DJ. Because he believed in my music and the censorship wasn’t his doing..."

This marks a new low for the UK broadcaster. For years now, journalists and producers working for the BBC have practiced self-censorship fearing the 'phone call from the Israeli embassy', treating the word Palestine as if it was a dirty word. Who knew, this would literally be the case.

UPDATE 1: Jody McIntyre from the Independent writes that the BBC aired the words 'Tel Aviv' as part of the lyrics to another Bigz track on the Charlie Sloth Show:

DJ Charlie Sloth played a Bigz track entitled ‘I Just Want The Paper’. In the song he raps: “Chilling on a beach… Tel Aviv”

You can hear the track for yourself here at 0:51, this just completely puts the BBC's claims of impartiality on the ropes, if censoring Gaza Strip was done in order to maintain impartiality, why was Tel Aviv also not censored? The answer - the BBC is biased towards Israel. Simple.

UPDATE 2: The BBC have taken the video of the Bigz freestyle down and now put on a version with 'Gaza Strip' uncensored. The Mic Righteous censored freestyle is still up though. Although the BBC deserve some credit for retracting their censorship in this case.

Syrian protester beaten and dragged through streets of Homs

2011-05-23T21:45:00.008+01:00

A video showing Syrian forces loyal to Asaad (both plainclothed and uniformed) beat a man to within an inch of his life and drag him through Homs, Syria's third largest city.

Real Captain Jack Sparrow was a Muslim

2011-05-22T07:34:00.019+01:00

Fascinating article about the real Captain Jack Sparrow fictionalised in the popular film series 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. A few interesting points about the real Jack Sparrow:

His real name was Captain Jack Ward and he was also known as Jack Birdy.
He was on the run from the church when he converted to Islam in the late 16th Century.
His entire crew also converted to Islam with him.
Captain Jack Birdy was obsessed with little birds during his time in Tunisia (where he fled). So much that the locals would call him Jack Asfur, asfur being Arabic for sparrow. This is where the name Captain Jack Sparrow comes from.
His Muslim name was Yusuf Reis
He was married to another renegade from Christendom who also converted to Islam, Jessimina the Sicilian.
Whilst Captain Jack Birdy was known as a great drunkard, he stopped drinking alcohol when he converted to Islam.
He was instrumental in rescuing thousands of Spanish Jews and Muslims fleeing their expulsion from their lands in the 16th and 17th centuries.

UPDATE 4th June 2011: Haha, this explains the crescent and moon symbol in the promotional poster for the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie 'On Stranger Tides':

Bizarre Obama cartoon aired by Syrian TV

2011-05-21T05:36:00.004+01:00

It seems if Al-Dounia TV isn't covering up Asaad's crimes against his people then they are churning out ridiculous cartoons that make no sense. Yes, Obama does talk crap, but what does that have to do with the Syrian people rising up?

UK student body officially supports Palestine

2011-05-21T05:22:00.003+01:00

A very significant victory in recent days when the NUS (National Union of Students) adopted a strongly worded motion supporting Palestinian rights. In it, the NUS admitted that the situation in Palestine was akin to apartheid, supporting the right of return, an end to the Gaza siege and even pledging to send representatives on the next flotilla! This is a far cry from the heavily pro-Israeli stance of the NUS under Wes Streeting which refused to condemn the massacre on Gaza. The timing couldn't be sweeter coming a week after a huge conference in London bringing together the most stalwart supporters of Israel in the UK. The Israeli press is up in arms about this which is always a good sign. NUS, I salute your courage!

Obama's speech - a false comparison

2011-05-21T04:04:00.008+01:00

Obama's speech on Thursday was the usual hypocritical bullshit which I could critique at some length. Instead, I want to draw your attention to a reference that he made when comparing two people - an Israeli who had lost his son to Hamas and a Palestinian who lost his daughters to Israel. The Israeli whom he talked about is Yitzhak Frankenthal whose son Arik was an IDF soldier involved in maintaining the illegal military occupation of the West Bank and was therefore a perfectly legitimate target for the resistance. He was captured and later killed in Ramallah which was then and still is occupied territory. He founded an organisation after this which was 'dedicated' to reconciling parents of both sides in the war. He is often described as a member of the Israeli peace camp but this did not stop him from supporting the Israeli war on Lebanon in 2006 which killed hundreds of innocent civilians:

"Associated with the Israeli peace camp since 1973, I have been actively fighting for peace since 1994. I believe that it is because I am a peace activist that I must call on the Israeli government to continue its operations in Lebanon"

So there you go. The Palestinian whom Obama referred to is the now well know Gazan doctor Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish whose three daughters were killed by shells fired from Israeli tanks. An Al-Jazeera report described what happened next.

As the report says, 90% of Israelis supported the war so this tragedy barely represented a blip on the radar for Israel's moral conscience. And yet Dr. Abuelaish continues with his - and I hesitate to use this word - prostration to so-called liberal Zionists around the world professing love for the occupier despite his personal tragedy. At some level, I could find this admirable but whilst bombs continue to fall on Palestinians and the occupation continues to exist than this is nothing less than capitulation to your oppressor. Look at how happy he is that Obama mentioned him:

"I cried when I saw and learned that today in his speech Barack Obama referred to me”

How undignified is that? The point is we have an Israeli whose son died in a legitimate military operation on occupied territory placed on the same stage as a Palestinian whose three daughters were ripped to pieces by Israeli shells as they slept in their homes in Gaza! This false dichotomy was just one of many perpetuated by Obama in his speech which I don't want to go into. I am just thankful that Palestinians and Arabs in general saw through his lies and paid as little attention to it as they would with a Bin Laden tape. Oh and here's a picture of the Gazan doctor posing with the war criminal Ehud Barak at the height of the second intifada:
Isti7ee ala damak ya daktor.

Director of 'The Promise' owns pro-Israeli critics

2011-05-15T01:14:00.005+01:00

I'm back.

Peter Kosminsky, director of popular Channel 4 TV serial 'The Promise' responds to accusations of inaccuracy and distortion. The research that went into this show was clearly extensive despite the howls of protest emanating from the pro-Israeli crowd, Kosminsky does a good job here of defending his magnificent work:

I would urge you all to watch The Promise, especially now that we have entered the 63rd anniversary of the Nakba. It paints a clear and accurate picture of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine as witnessed by British soldiers in the British occupation pre 1948 - it really is an incredible series. It is available on the 4od website. Unfortunately, I think it is only available to UK users.

West Bank Palestinians living in a dream

2010-06-20T19:09:00.005+01:00

The gulf between Gaza and the West Bank seems to be widening more than ever, politically, economically and socially. Whilst those who support the Palestinian struggle from around the world support the resistance program, some Palestinians seem to be opting for the Fatah/Fayyad program:

The security services in the West Bank gained popular confidence...while the security services in Gaza have not.

These are the same security services that hunt down resistance fighters and co-ordinate with the occupation. Although, I must admit that people in the West Bank say on the domestic crime front, the security services are doing very well.

Respondents voiced more confidence in the leadership of Fatah than that of Hamas.

So, respondents have more confidence in traitors such as Dahlan, Abbas and Fayyad than Haniyeh, Mishal and Dweik? Give me a break.

...Fatah would have received considerably more electoral support than Hamas.

But the poll did concede that:

...there was considerable uncertainty surrounding the poll data, since more than half of respondents refused to identify what party they supported.

This would be especially true in the West Bank where anyone that has anything to do with Hamas is hounded and ultimately arrested - under the auspices of US General Dayton.

Whatever the accuracy of the poll, it is clear that a substantial portion of the Palestinian population support Fatah and the West Bank government even though Fatah:

Deferred the Goldstone report under suspicious circumstances.
Faced serious and substantial allegations of corruption.
Co-ordinate with the Israeli occupation.
Kill resistance fighters.
Arrest hundreds of political opponents.
Torture political opponents.
Are complicit in the siege on Gaza.

The West Bank is enjoying a period of relative economic prosperity (under occupation) and I think some Palestinians are losing sight of the bigger picture. They are still living under occupation - no amount of money could change that fact that they are in bondage. What is the point of having a well paid job, a nice house, a nice car if you are not free?! I know we suffered under the second intifada but we still had our honour and our respect. We still had our morals and ethics. Now we have Palestinians partying in nightclubs just a stone throws away from refugee camps, do you not remember Lebanon?! (click here to view BBC report about nightclubs in Ramallah) Without our Islamic and Christian identity, we are worthless.

I am not saying I wish poverty to befall on the West Bank or for another massacre to happen. No. I am just pissed off at some of our brethren who think that if they stay quiet and continue with their lives they will be free from Israel's aggression. Believe me if you don't wake up and stop living an illusion, you will be next.

Cameraman calls Australian Muslim a 'fucking terrorist'

2010-04-19T23:51:00.006+01:00

via Islamophobia-Watch:

This video shows an Australian citizen of Arab origin being hounded by the media after he accompanied his son, who was being tried for allegedly attacking a store. What happened in full was shown on ABC, wheras Channel 7 aired the part only where the Arab man gets angry. They conveniently forgot to air the part where the cameraman calls the man a 'fucking terrorist'. More proof that the corporate media cannot be trusted - on any side of the Earth's hemisphere.

Wikileaks to release new video showing murder of scores of Afghan civilians

2010-04-07T16:13:00.004+01:00

Remember this from May of last year?

Wikileaks, the scourge of governments from China to the US, will soon release a video related to this killing of more than a hundred innocent Afghan civilians in May 2009. This comes on the backdrop of the release of helicopter footage of the slaying of Iraqis in 2007. Take note of what the US were saying when the news broke last year of the casualties:

"We do everything we can to avoid civilian casualties. When the insurgents embed themselves amongst the population, this makes it very difficult. But we ask our commanders to use proportionality and restraint, especially among the populated areas and consider other options."

This is a familiar accusation against Hamas in Gaza but had been widely discredited by human rights organisations. It is easier to accuse the Taliban of this tactic because they have a stricter interpretation of Islam and are therefore more 'evil'. The release of this video will hopefully give us the answers, although I suspect we all know what they are.

Israel - this is not a love song....

2010-04-07T16:00:00.004+01:00

One of the best videos from the 'Never Before Campaign':

Quilliam - just another Zionist tool

2010-03-26T20:33:00.023Z

The Quilliam foundation, a government funded, self proclaimed 'anti-extremism think tank', released a report recently detailing the hatred and extremism of the Islam Channel. A lot of debate exists around the Quilliam foundation, about its aims, its members etc. It is seen, however, in many Muslim circles as just a lackey of the government, given the massive amounts of money it receives. It has also received praise from some of the most pro-Israeli politicians in the UK, such as Denis MacShane and Michael Gove. This aspect of Quilliam cannot be overlooked by the British Muslim community as this pro-Israeli slant will undoubtedly cause it to provide cover for Israeli crimes and proportion blame on the Palestinians.
A quick look at the report's footnotes reveals an impressive collection of clips from the Islam Channel, these are between 20 seconds to 2 minutes and a half - very similar to MEMRI, the institution headed by a former Israeli intelligence official. In fact, many of the clips used to prove the Islam Channel's extremism and anti-semitism were not at all extremist or racist - they simply reflected the facts on the ground and the reality of the Palestinians. Yet the Quilliam Foundation seemed to have a real problem with this as will be shown.

1) 'Interpal appeal' (click on image to view video):
QF (Quilliam Foundation):

Another example of the ways in which the Islam Channel has provided an outlet for extremist views...the Islam Channel broadcast an ‘Interpal Appeal’ for Gaza that included a prayer in Arabic that was translated into English, mixed in with images of the war in Gaza. The video of the prayer...glorified Palestinian fighters and called for God to ‘smash’ the ‘enemies of Islam’, against the backdrop of an image of the flag of Israel. The implication was that Israel was an ‘enemy’ of Islam that needed to be destroyed...

Why are they so worried about Israel being described as an 'enemy', is it our friend?! In QF's world, glorifying Palestinian fighters means you're an extremist and calling on God to smash the oppressors of the Palestinians is extreme (bearing in mind this was at a time when Israel was killing hundreds of Palestinian children). I cannot think of any sane Muslim that regards Israel as anything but an enemy and QF's concern for this should not be ignored.

2) 'Bethlehem: Hidden from View' (click on image to view video)
QF:

This particular programme reports on the current situation in Bethlehem...it is claimed that the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) conducted daily raids on the houses of innocent Palestinians in order to scare and terrorise the population. Yet again, the Islam Channel represented these un-verifiable claims as facts, without a response from an Israeli government’s perspective, seemingly in order to whip up anger against Israel amongst its viewers and increase resentment towards western countries foreign policy. In the programme a former IDF soldier was able to make the unverifiable claim that the Israeli army purposely terrorised innocent Palestinians in order to “make [their] presence felt"

Human rights organisations have frequently documented this IDF practice of terrorising and punishing the civilian population. It cannot be disputed that raids happen on a daily basis in the Palestinian territories and yet QF complains that the Israeli government is not given a chance to defend itself! It is also very concerned about anger directed against Israel! Does this sound like a British Muslim organisation that represents you?

3) Daud Abdullah 1 (click on image to view video)
QF:

On the other hand, Hamas are described on a variety of programmes as a legitimate ‘resistance’ organisation, with their methods of armed violence legitimised and described as acceptable reactions to occupation and comparable to French revolutionaries who had fought against the Nazis. The intentions of such accusations are clearly to lessen support for secular parties in the Palestinian territories and bolster support amongst British Muslims for Hamas.

Not once does Daud Abdullah indicate that he is talking about Hamas, he refers to Palestinians in Gaza which include those from Fatah, PFLP etc. He talks about resistance, whether Islamic or secular - any kind. He doesnt even mention armed violence, this casts doubt on the dubious claim that his aim was to 'lesson support for secular parties'. Once again I ask, why does QF have a problem with this? Do they not want the Palestinians to defend themselves?

4) Daud Abdullah 2 (click on image to view video)
QF:

Such legitimisation of the use of political violence by Palestinians is not caveated to exclude terrorism nor accompanied by the recognition of the number of innocent people that have died at the hands of Hamas...Islam Channel...defend(s) their acts of terrorism through arguing, for example, that their attacks do not target civilians and are therefore incomparable to the ‘indiscriminate’ killing that the Israelis allegedly perpetrate.

As can be seen in the clip, Daud Abdullah was simply quoting the UN war crimes report headed by Richard Goldstone (who as well as being Jewish, is ardently Zionist, has a daughter who did aliyah to Israel and sits on the board of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem). His report found that Israel indiscriminately killed civilians and according to QF, this has to be denied because it constitutes extremism. Furthermore, how many Israeli civilians died in the war on Gaza? Three. How many Palestinian civilians died? >1000. And yet QF decries the murderous Hamas! It is important to note that QF refers to Hamas' fighting in Gaza during the war on Gaza as terrorism. I cannot stress just how Zionist this description is, even some Israelis (such as Shlomo Ben-Ami) accept that attacking occupying and invading troops is resistance and not terrorism.

5) Ismail Patel 1 (click on image to view video)
QF:

Fatah are also accused of being western stooges and only serving the interests of Israel and other western powers, an accusation that is commonly thrown at the world’s Muslim leaders by extreme Islamist organisations.

QF would want you to believe that Ismail Patel's anger is directed solely at Fatah and other Muslim leaders because they want you to believe he is an evil Islamist. But he is also referring to the Wahabbi House of Saud, the biggest Western ally in the Middle East, so his motivation is not to demonise secular Fatah but to point towards the Muslim leader's complicity. He supports the Palestinians, therefore QF must discredit him.

6) Ismail Patel 2 (click on image to view video)
QF:

...makes the anti-Semitic claim that Jewish people have control over the media and are deceiving people regarding the extent of Israeli ‘war crimes’. Constant references are thus made, on many occasions, to ‘Zionist propaganda’ that has apparently managed to ‘cover the truth’ about the conflict. The programme also states that a sense of ‘duplicity’ exists amongst the media when reporting on Palestinian issues due to the fact that the media was anti-Muslim and ‘Zionist’ controlled.

QF is once again, playing the role of Zionist apologist using the classic smear of anti semitism. Ismail Patel never mentions Jews and yet his description of the hugely disproportionate coverage of prisoners in the conflict as Zionist propaganda is deemed anti semitic. Not once does Patel characterise this as anti-Muslim and yet it as described by QF as such. Why is QF acting as the vanguard for Israeli propaganda?

7) Ismail Patel 3 (click on image to view video)
QF:

...recent violence around the Al-Aqsa Mosque site in Jerusalem was all part of a Jewish conspiracy to demolish the mosque, which is the third holiest site in Islam, and replace it with a synagogue, a claim that would understandably provoke mass anger amongst British Muslims.

Ismail Patel was talking about Jewish extremists and settlers, those were his words. Besides, it is well known that Jewish extremists want to destroy Al-Aqsa and build their third temple so why does QF criticise Patel for drawing attention to it?

8) '22 Day War' - tunnels (click on image to view video)
QF:

Other controversial issues tied into the conflict, such as the purposes of tunnels in Gaza and the recent conflict surrounding the Al-Aqsa Mosque, are also not treated objectively, with the Israeli government’s side of the story at one point being referred to as ‘a big lie’ by the presenter.

The Israeli government must be heard! Never mind that they are suffocating Gaza, they must speak and we must pay attention. Without these tunnels, Gazans would starve but for QF, the description of Israelis as liars is just too much to bear.

9) '22 Day War' - civilians (click on image to view video)
QF:

...the Arab-Israeli conflict was treated as yet another attack on Islam by western powers, with Israel consistently depicted as malicious, dangerous and deceptive. The war in Gaza is thus referred to as “a war against civilians, not a war against militants” by the presenter, whilst it is also stated that the Israelis had a policy of targeting civilians which had been in place ever since “they had established their country of Israel on the ruin of Palestinians”.

The presenter is again quoting the UN report written by Richard Goldstone and unfortunately for QF does not describe the war on Gaza as a war on Islam, another wilful omission. They moan about the need for ‘impartiality’ and about the description of the war on Gaza as a war against civilians when this is how all the mainstream human rights organisations described it - as a 'wilful targeting of civilians'. But this does not fit in with QF's Zionist agenda so they will continue to condemn even the slightest word spoken out in defense of the oppressed.

10) '22 Day War' - university (click on image to view video)
QF:

...Incidents that could not be verified were also described in such a way on the programme as to only deepen resentment amongst Muslims towards Israel. A typical example can be found during a description of an Israeli attack on the Islamic University of Gaza in 2008, in which the presenter makes the claim that the university was targeted on purpose by the Israeli military to prevent young Palestinians from gaining an education.

The attack on the University in Gaza was one of the most brazen and senseless attacks in the war on Gaza. The university is well known in Palestine and the Arab world and is renown for its quality education, it was a symbol of Gaza and its pride and its attack was denounced by human rights organisations all over the world as an attack on education. Clearly, QF believes otherwise.

Reading through the report, I was struck by how much it read like a piece from MEMRI (here I am referring to the clips that dealt with the Israel-Palestine). I cannot see how QF can seriously want us to belive they are a credible British Muslim organisation when they are clearly working with or for the Zionists in the UK. It is clear that their aim - or one of their aims - is to soften Muslim's attitudes towards Israel and to discredit the Palestinians. Inshallah, this isn't going to work and people should not be fooled by this organisation which, I hope have shown, is working on a pro-Israeli agenda.

More evidence of a media campaign against the Palestinian resistance

2010-02-26T14:24:00.004Z

I wrote yesterday about how reports about infiltration of Hamas ranks were aimed at discrediting the resistance and sowing discord amongst those who support the Palestinian's struggle. More evidence of this has surfaced today with yet another Haaretz exclusive about an internal feud within Hamas:

Internal strife within Hamas over a deal for a prisoner swap with Israel has led to the resignation of Mahmoud A-Zahar, a senior member of the negotiating team...

Obviously, the timing is significant because of the past weeks events. There have always been disagreements within Hamas, lively debate and the concept of Shura (consultation) is what has characterised the movement and is vital in making decisions. Hamas, however, have never let internal disagreements spill over into the public (as opposed to Fatah, which resolves internal feuds with gunfire). Again, we should take this report with a pinch of salt and not fall into the Israeli media's trap.

Hamas leader's son - a liar and a traitor

2010-02-25T20:43:00.006Z

When I first heard news 2 years ago, that Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of jailed Hamas leader from Ramallah, Sheikh Hassan Yousef had fled to California and converted to Evangelical Christianity, I was skeptical, especially given his family's denial. But when I saw his interview on FOX, I realised this was true but did not think much of it, true he had left his religion, he would be left for Allah to judge. Besides, would it have been better for someone so disillusioned to stay within Islam? Also, I didn't really take his assertions that Palestinians have a culture of death, that we are evil etc. too seriously as I believed he had been brainwashed by Christian Zionism.

Now, a Haaretz exclusive states:

The son of a leading Hamas figure, who famously converted to Christianity, served for over a decade as the Shin Bet security service's most valuable source in the militant organization's leadership.

Ya Rab! Why would he reveal this now? What is so special about the timing of this revelation....

Police in Dubai are to issue arrest warrants for 11 "agents with European passports" (now, 26!) suspected of assassinating a top Hamas official last month.

Oh, that's right. Mossad agents had penetrated a sovereign Arab nation and assassinated a senior member of the Palestinian resistance, using stolen European passports from friendly countries. They had also managed to have their faces plastered around television screens all around the world, effectively ending their 'on the ground' espionage career. They've been getting a lot of heat from the international community (although it's mostly hot air) so they needed to divert attention away from them and onto Hamas. This latest story is not the only one, 2 days ago a Fatah website claimed:

...says Damascus authorities detained Muhammad Nasser, who arrived in Dubai before Hamas man's assassination, for possible involvement in plot.

Many media outlets reported this as fact, even though it came from a very bias and unreliable source. Muhammad Nasser is also a very senior Hamas operative who participated in the killing of the two Israeli soldiers back in 1989. But if he was in Mossad's pocket, why would they need almost 30 people to kill one man? The claims made by Mosab Hassan Yousef are even more ludicrous:

...led to the arrests of a number of high-ranking Palestinian figures....included Ibrahim Hamid (a Hamas military commander in the West Bank), Marwan Barghouti (founder of the Fatah-linked Tanzim militia) and Abdullah Barghouti (a Hamas bomb-maker with no close relation to the Fatah figure).

Wow, this guy is like a super-spy! Putting aside the fact that he wants us to believe he has magical powers, who is he kidding?! The Hamas military and political wings are kept well apart, especially in the West Bank. How on earth, would he have information on the locations of top-level Hamas military commanders?! And this notion of a 'green prince', what utter garbage! This sounds like a classic Israeli propaganda piece, played by a treacherous Palestinian who has sold his country and religion for the beaches of California. We will see Mosab Hassan Yousef on tours in America next, warning Americans of the evil Palestinians and the glory of Israel.

This story and others that point towards infiltration of Hamas ranks is part of a clear campaign to discredit Palestinian resistance, divert attention and demoralise supporters of Palestine. Let's not be fooled by this drivel.

Zionist child torture Part IX

2010-01-30T15:41:00.006Z

Breaking the Silence release new testimonies, this time from female soldiers:

Retaliation came soon after: "I don't know who or how, but I know that two of our soldiers put him in a jeep, and that two weeks later the kid was walking around with casts on both arms and legs…they talked about it in the unit quite a lot – about how they sat him down and put his hand on the chair and simply broke it right there on the chair."

Leeds is freezing...

2010-01-07T22:11:00.002Z

This amazing image was taken by NASA, reminds me of the film 'The Day After Tomorrow'!:

Photo: NASA/GSFC, MODIS Rapid Response

Long Live Palestine Part 2 - DOWNLOAD NOW

2010-01-03T00:49:00.011Z

Its time. The campaign to get Lowkey's new single for Palestine in the charts has begun, we have a week to get 'Long Live Palestine Part 2' in the charts! Here's what the single is about:

So, what are you waiting for?

Join the group on www.lowkeytop40.co.uk

...and buy the single!

'Long Live Palestine Part 2' on Amazon.co.uk

'Long Live Palestine Part 2' on Play.com

Its only 70p and all proceeds go to charity (Interpal and Gaza appeal)

Remember only 4000 copies need to be sold for it to enter the charts, we can do much more than this so please buy the single and show your love for Palestine!

Gaza - one year on...

2009-12-27T23:35:00.006Z

AngryArab:

If every Palestinian forgives Israel for its crimes, I won't. Never.

I echo this statement, never forget what happened on that day:

A busy day for the IOF....Israel kills 6 Palestinians

2009-12-26T17:46:00.007Z

Just a day before the first year anniversary of the Israeli massacre on Gaza, the Israelis have been at it again, murdering Palestinians with impunity:

....her husband told soldiers he would get out of the house, so they started shooting through the door and the windows. “He fell between my hands bleeding. I started crying 'they killed him, they killed him.' Then soldiers broke the door and got in. He was already dead, but they continued to riddle his body with bullets to make sure he was killed."

3 martyrs from Nablus and another 3 from Gaza - united by blood. These killings were in revenge for the shooting of a settler in the West Bank on Thursday and aimed at appeasing the Settlers' anger. Its not as if the PA didn't do all they could to find those responsible as the IDF admitted today:

Sources in the IDF lauded Saturday the Palestinian security establishment for its conduct following the shooting ambush Thursday, in which Meir Avshalom Hai was killed, calling it "determined and impressive."

These collaborators have no shame but there are signs that the respectable in Fatah are turning their backs on Abbas: (my translation, italics mine)

Nihad Abu Sharkh (the brother of one of the martyrs) replied in response to a question posed by a reporter for Palestine TV, as to what his message was after these crimes, he said "Enough Abbas, stop tricking us"....

The Fatah activists from Nablus were pardoned by Israel and were assured that they could live their lives, indeed some of them had opened shops, got married - their worlds were shattered this morning. Inshallah, the rank and file of Fatah will return to the side of resistance and true unity can be acheived.

Lets get Lowkey's new single for Palestine in the charts!

2009-12-23T14:59:00.006Z

A new facebook group has emerged aiming to propel Lowkey into the charts with his new single 'Long Live Palestine: Part 2'. For those of you who haven't heard of Lowkey, hes an amazing rapper, more of a poet, concentrating on hard-hitting lyrics and activism, hes also English of Iraqi descent. A brilliant track of his is 'Alphabet Assassin' with Faith SFX (a beatboxer), this is talent:

To get a single into the charts (the top 40), it needs to sell 4000 copies. The single hasn't even been released yet and the group has 3,000 members. The single is released on the 3rd January and can be downloaded from itunes for 79p. This is a chance to propel the music of resistance into the charts and to increase the profile of Lowkey and the Palestinian cause. Please everyone, I urge you to join the group (by clicking here) and buy the single on the 3rd!

UPDATE: The single is out, download it now!

CIA sees Palestinian security services as their 'property'

2009-12-17T20:08:00.006Z

More evidence that the authority in Ramallah is essentially a lackey of Israel and the US:

The relationship between the CIA and the two Palestinian agencies involved is said.....to be so close that the American agency appears to be supervising the Palestinians' work. One senior western official said: "The [Central Intelligence] Agency consider them as their property, those two Palestinian services." A diplomatic source added that US influence over the agencies was so great they could be considered "an advanced arm of the war on terror".

A very dignified description of the PA's security bodies. They have been very busy in the last two weeks, arresting over 550 Palestinians - clearly, Abbas & co. are petrified after this message was sent to them from the people of Gaza:
Understandable.

Israeli airliner a front for Israeli security agency

2009-11-23T14:58:00.004Z

You don't get many Israeli whisteblowers but here's Jonathan Garb a former security employee for 'El Al' the Israeli airline describing El Al's practice of racial profiling and their flouting of the law in South Africa (this report was aired on Carte Blanche, South African TV):

Jonathan Cook provides more information:

....Jonathan Garb, a former El Al guard, who claimed that the airline had been a front for the Shin Bet, Israel's intelligence agency....."Here is a secret service operating above the law in South Africa. We pull the wool over everyone's eyes. We do exactly what we want. The local authorities do not know what we are doing."

All the more reason why Israel should be boycotted.

New epic movie about Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) planned

2009-11-02T16:39:00.009Z

Producer Barrie Osborne who produced the Matrix and the Lord of the Rings trilogy is planning a new challenge - creating an epic about the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (pbuh):

Budgeted at around $150m (£91.5m), the film will chart Muhammad's life and examine his teachings. Osborne told Reuters ...."The film will educate people about the true meaning of Islam".....Muslim scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi to oversee all aspects of the shoot.

This is excellent news! Whilst many people seem intent on dividing us, some have taken matters into their own hands, to bridge the divide between Islam and the West (although were going to have to wait until 2011 for this film to come out!)

Who is 'Tommy Robinson', the leader of the EDL?

2009-11-01T19:12:00.017Z

For details on what happened on the day click here

A man whose face was completely covered, standing in front of an Israeli flag, spoke at the English Defence League demo in Leeds, saying:

"Shariah ruled by the so-called Allah means that the domination of non-Muslims is a central teaching of Islam and read within the Qur'an and the example of Muhammad, the founder of Islam. But the English Defence League stands here today and in London to say that we will not be slaves to Allah and those that represent him."

At this point, the crowd roared their approval (the crowd included a couple of token black people and an Asian man):
The EDL's incitement that the UK is on the brink of the implementation of Shariah and that the domination of non-Muslims is a central teaching of Islam is why they should be categorised as a racist, Islamophobic movement. They LIE about Islam and Muslims in order to whip up fear and hatred against innocent Muslims. And the Israeli flag that follows the EDL everywhere is interesting - it may be to provoke British Muslims, who are great supporters of the Palestinian struggle, or there may be something more sinister about it (as if that isn't sinister enough).

UPDATE: The man above is known by his pseudonym 'Tommy Robinson'. He is one of the leaders of the EDL and he says he is a carpenter from Luton, he is the most visible face of the EDL (no pun intended!) in the media (he was the man who held the press conference in the warehouse where they burned the swastika). In this BBC report here, he is challenged by Paraic O'Brien as to why he hides his identity, he replies:

I live in a heavily populated Islamic extremist town where the head of Mujadeen are based.

He is a complete fool, the Muslims of Luton responded to the extremists that protested against the military parade in Luton (who numbered around 20):

....Mr Latif, meanwhile, hopes that their decision to turn on the extremists within their own community will now prompt Luton's white community to do the same. "I believe people on all sides are sick of the extremists," he said. "I now hope the white working class will weed out the fascists and hate mongers just like we now have. Otherwise things will only get worse."

It is painfully clear he is hiding his identity for other reasons and the fact that he chose 'Tommy Robinson' as his pseudonym (a football hooligan) shows his true intentions.

Suprise! Glen Jenvey NOT a Muslim

2009-11-01T01:18:00.004Z

Remember, back in August I posted this peice about Glen Jenvey supposed 'conversion' to Islam, Here is a video of his conversion to refresh your memory:

I remarked at the time that this conversion was probably some kind of 'infiltration' on behalf of Glen:

I seriously doubt he is genuine in his conversion to Islam, he probably wants to infiltrate this group and slander Muslims once he is out. This is an extraordinary story though, he is close to Lionheart (a pro-BNP blogger) and he is presented as an anti-terror expert in the media. Very suspicious, if you ask me.

Well, he replied to my comments saying:

my conversion to Islamis real you have no right to comment on another person faith it's just your style or point of view. i'm following the qur'an like any muslim i have retired from spying, and support a free fair islamic palestinian state. free from backbiting of muslims and free from american jewish dollars.

He probably thinks the phrase 'islamic palestinian state' and 'american jewish dollars' would win my trust. Well, now he has appeared in a video where he says he indeed was inflitrating extremist Muslims and that he is going to write a book with all the juicy details. He also mentions he's gay, that he read the Quran while drinking beer and spoke to Omar Bakri whilst eating bacon:

The brothers from the 'London school of Shariah' (basically Al-Muhajiroon) really are a bunch of nitwits. To be fooled by this so-called 'expert', who now thinks he's some kind of James Bond secret spy, is frankly laughable. Clearly, Glen Jenvey will use whatever information he got from them to further attack Islam and British Muslims. Then again, these Muslims have done everything in their power to besmirch the name of Islam so my sympathy for them is limited.

Violence kept to a minimum in EDL Leeds protest

2009-10-31T18:20:00.028Z

So, the protests have ended. The EDL (English Defence League) was outnumbered 2 to 1 (so not as much as previous demos) but considering Muslims were told not to go then this is a remarkable achievement. The police had control from the word, go. They were professional, made some arrests (8 in all), they controlled the hooligans and kept us apart from the EDL protesters. Some observations:

The overwhelming majority of the EDL protesters were teenagers.
Leeds United hooligans were visibly present in City Square.
They chanted "E-E-EDL", "Muslim bombers off our streets", "Eng-a-land, Eng-a-land, Eng-a-land", "We're so f***ing mental", "No surrender to the Taliban", "We want our country back", "Who the f*** are you" etc. etc.
A man in the middle of the UAF (United Against Fascism) demo in Victoria Gardens started shouting about immigrants, accusing them of being behind unemployment. He was roughed up by some UAF supporters and was taken out. A video has appeared on YouTube:

EDL protesters tried to break through police ranks and were stopped twice.
The Israeli flag was again visible in the EDL march, I took a picture (not a very good one):

A group of EDL protesters broke off from the demo and made their way onto boar lane and up briggate, the police rushed through and eventually stopped them. The police failed in this regard, letting the EDL cause severe disruption on Boar Lane near the corn exchange.
Many of the local pubs welcomed the EDL supporters, as the EDL passed these pubs, there were claps and cheers from them.
There were some hardcore racists in the EDL crowd (nazis and their ilk)

The tension in and around Leeds city centre was toxic, I have lived here for more than 15 years and I have never seen Leeds in this state - helicopters overhead, hundreds of police lining the streets, police dogs, tear canisters, mounted police. They clearly were expecting serious trouble, thankfully this didn't materialise, primarily because there were no Muslim targets for the EDL. Imagine if brothers from Beeston, Hyde Park, Harehills, Chapeltown, Bradford and Dewsbury had come to the protest?! Clearly, mosques and Muslim community leaders have more of an impact on Muslim youth than many make it look like.

UPDATE: This AP video shows the group of EDL supporters that broke off from the protest through police ranks:

UPDATE: Video added of EDL supporter getting beat up by UAF

UPDATE: A man whose face was completely covered, standing in front of an Israeli flag, spoke at the EDL demo

UPDATE: I found this photo online:
I'm not sure but he may be the same person in the left of this photo, wearing the skull-cap:
If this is the case then the EDL is indeed attracting Jewish members although they may just be the odd few that are paraded by the EDL as evidence that they are not racist (just like the black members). Any ethnic minority, Muslim or Jew that supports the EDL is an idiot, the group includes hardcore Nazis that dream of an all-white Britain. However, it makes sense that Israeli supporters would support the EDL, after all both Israel and the EDL are Islamophobic, racist entities.

Police urge Muslims to avoid Leeds city centre

2009-10-30T19:52:00.005Z

Muslim community leaders were advised by West Yorkshire Police to urge followers not to take part in any protest against the EDL. I got this through the Leeds Grand Mosque mailing list:

Be aware – don’t get provoked in to unlawful behaviour by the planned protest on Saturday October 31st

Over the past few months there have been a number of planned protests held across the country, associated with the formation of a group calling themselves the English Defence League (EDL). The group, claim on their website not to be anti Islamic, but to be opposed to Muslim extremism. However their events attract right wing groups including football supporters groups.

West Yorkshire Police have been notified of an intended EDL protest in Leeds on October 31st. A counter protest will be staged by the Unite Against Fascism (UAF) group. Previous protests involving the EDL, UAF and local youths from the Asian community have led to disorder and arrests being made for all parties.

Currently several groups are circulating messages via the internet www.workerspower.com that are designed to provoke people to become involved in the demonstration and possibly get involved in disorder.

By attending the demonstration and possibly becoming involved in disorder, there is a strong possibility that the EDL will use your actions in support of their own campaign, becoming involved in disorder plays in to the hands of the EDL.

Inspector Fran Naughton
North West Inner- Hyde Park Neighbourhood Policing Team
North West Leeds Division
West Yorkshire Police

This happened previously in Manchester and thus the EDL were able to march through the city. Then again, there was little violence then and I suppose if there were a lot of Asians in the Manchester protest then the chants of "I hate Pakis more than you" would have elicited an angry response. So I really cannot blame the Police for advising Muslims to avoid the protest - they have a duty to prevent violence, this is one way of doing it. I do, however, think that the EDL is growing, that it needs to be confronted and these kind of protests will show the people of the UK that racists are not welcome in Leeds.

UPDATE: More info on the plea to young Muslims to stay away:

Young Muslims have been urged to stay away from parts of Leeds on Saturday as the English Defence League (EDL) stages a protest against Islamic extremism........Police visited mosques in the city on Thursday to urge young people not to get drawn into any disorder.

Tiger by the tail - new doc about Israel-Palestine conflict

2009-10-29T02:12:00.005Z

Tiger by the tail is a brilliant new documentary made entirely by videos uploaded from YouTube. It is an excellent film and really explores the propaganda that surrounds the conflict in Palestine - its witty, easy to understand and well made. This definitely deserves to be seen, spread the word!

You can watch it on YouTube here.

Counter demo to EDL protest in Leeds

2009-10-29T01:52:00.009Z

For details on what happened on the day click here

The EDL will march in Leeds on Saturday 31st October and UAF will be there to counter it. Everyone from the North of England should turn up outside Leeds Art Gallery at 12:00pm. The EDL will be marching at around 1:00pm not far away, if we can humiliate them like we did in Manchester, Wales, Harrow and Birmingham then it will be a success. Anti-racists, politicians, faith leaders, trade unions and community leaders and have signed the statement opposing the EDL marching in Leeds and calling for unity to celebrate and defend multicultural Leeds. The statement reads:

"We the undersigned strongly oppose plans by the 'English Defence League' - a group linked to the fascist BNP - to demonstrate in Leeds city centre. The EDL is a racist group dedicated to attacking Asian people and Muslims. Islamophobia - bigotry against Muslims - is as unacceptable as any other form of racism. Its aim is to divide us by making scapegoats of one community, just as the Nazis did with the Jews in the 1930s.

Today they threaten the mosque, tomorrow it could be a synagogue, temple or church. Today they threaten Muslims, tomorrow it could be Jewish people, Hindus, Sikhs, black people, lesbians & gay men, travellers or Eastern Europeans. There is no place for Nazis, racists or the BNP in Leeds multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious community.

We call on the Home Secretary and the police to ban the EDL action.

We also urge people to attend the peaceful ‘Celebrate and defend multicultural Leeds’ rally to be held outside the Art Gallery on Saturday 31st October at midday."

UPDATE: During Friday prayers today (around Leeds, I am told) Muslims - young Muslims in particular - were advised not to go to Leeds City Centre on Saturday and to stay away from the protests. Their reasoning was the EDL wants to provoke Muslims, why should we give them a bigger profile to propagate their hateful views? These are valid points but this group needs to be humiliated and they are humiliated when they are outnumbered (a quick look at their forum will tell you that) and if they are not challenged then they will be given a kind of 'legitimacy' that the BNP has been given. We, the people of Leeds, need to show these racists that anti-Muslim bigotry will not be tolerated.

UPDATE: Muslim community leaders were advised by the police in urging followers not to attend the counter protests.

UPDATE: More info on the plea to young Muslims to stay away:

Young Muslims have been urged to stay away from parts of Leeds on Saturday as the English Defence League (EDL) stages a protest against Islamic extremism........Police visited mosques in the city on Thursday to urge young people not to get drawn into any disorder.

Video: Interview with the leader of Hamas

2009-10-29T01:29:00.002Z

Steve Clemens of Palestine Note interviews Khaled Mishal, the leader of Hamas' political bureau. He asks about the Goldstone report, Hamas' relationship with more extreme Islamist groups, peace negotiations with Israel

Protestors shut down Olmert's speech at University of Chicago

2009-10-16T22:06:00.006+01:00

Yesterday, Ehud Olmert (Israel's PM during the wars on Gaza and Lebanon) visited the University of Chicago as part of a speech (sponsored by none other than King Abdullah II of Jordan, who plays on his Playstation regularly). He couldn't give his speech because he was disrupted by some men and women who wouldn't stay silent to a war criminal who killed 1,400 Palestinians in Gaza and over a 1000 Lebanese. Here is a video of what happened (notice Ali AbuNimah at the beginning):

Many of you may question these methods of protest, shouting down a speaker that has been invited to campus, how could we get our message across if all we do is shout and scream? Now if you are asking this question than what happened in the recent war on Gaza hasn't really sunk in. Ehud Olmert ordered his army to destroy Gaza in the hope of toppling Hamas by exerting the maximum amount of pain and suffering on the civilian population of Gaza. This included targeting civilians in cold blood, bombing the Islamic University of Gaza, bombing schools and hospitals, using white phosphorus in populated areas, destroying homes, killing children in their hundreds.

These are all facts corroborated by the most stringent of human rights groups. The point is, there is absolutely no way that Ehud Olmert did not have knowledge of these war crimes, indeed as the Prime Minister of the attacking state he sanctioned these killings and is directly responsible for all the death and destruction that was wreaked on Gaza. He cannot be given a platform to speak (especially in a university, given that he ordered the bombing of the Islamic University), he can only be given a chance to speak in front of a war crimes tribunal. He killed many innocent people and this wasn't in the fog of war or by accident - this was deliberate and precise.

We should all, therefore, congratulate the Palestinian community in Chicago on a great achievement and urge all activists in Universities around the world not to allow any Israeli's a platform to lie and exonerate themselves from the bloodshed that they inflicted on the people of Gaza.

Sign the petition calling for Gordon Brown to support Goldstone!

2009-10-14T01:33:00.005+01:00

Pro-Israelis and Zionist groups in the UK are trying to pressure Gordon Brown into shunning the Goldstone report. This report needs to be supported, not condemned, the petition was called by Palestinian activist Arafat Madi who has been instrumental in organising voyages, demos, and lobbying in order to try and break the siege on Gaza. Please sign the peition by clicking here:

We the undersigned petition call on the British Premier, Gordon Brown, to support the Goldstone Report and to ensure its acceptance in the Human Rights Council in March 2010. The report which was issued by a special committee assigned by the UN proved in a report of 570 pages that Israel perpetrated war crimes against Humanity in Gaza within its offensive in January 2009. Endorsing the report is endorsing humanity and rights of the besieged people of Gaza who are defenseless victims of the Israeli army. Israeli soldiers themselves confessed to have received orders to shot children in Gaza. TV Footages, Photographs and Media materials entirely supports the Goldstone report. The full-scale offensive in Gaza left at least 1,450 Palestinians killed and over 5000 injured. The entire infrastructure in Gaza was destroyed as Israeli attacks targeted schools, hospitals, streets, water wills, sewage system, farms and police stations. Till this moment, Israel is still imposing a harsh and criminal siege on the civilian population Gaza.

PA leaders go insane

2009-10-13T15:41:00.004+01:00

Clearly, the PA has lost its marbles as can be seen by their ludicrous yet dangerous accusations against Hamas. First we had Abbas in the great city of Jenin:

Abbas accused Hamas leaders of fleeing to Sinai Peninsula in ambulances when the Gaza strip was under Israeli fire......suggested that Hamas was responsible for provoking Israel’s war.

Then we had Yasser Abed Rabbo with none other than the head of Palestinian collaboration - yes, you guessed it - Mohammad Dahlan in a press conference:

Senior PLO official Yasser Abed Rabbo called Hamas leader Khalid Mash’al a “Last Supper man” in an apparent reference to the biblical betrayer Judas on Tuesday.....He accused Hamas of bringing an Arab and regional agenda to the Palestinian arena.....Abed Rabbo alleged that powerful figures in Gaza are benefiting financially from the status quo......also criticized Hamas for preventing Palestinian military groups from launching shells at Israeli targets bordering the Gaza Strip. He said Mash’al “wants to be nothing more than a border guard for Israel.”

Khalid Mishal must be laughing his head off listening to these comments, coming from Yasser Abed 'Wabbo' of all people. As I said before in an earlier post, this is the end of the line for Abbas & co. These collaborators accuse great men - resistance leaders - of corruption and collaboration. As the posters in Gaza say: "To the trash dumps of history, you traitor!"

Female scholars of Islam

2009-10-12T23:43:00.007+01:00

A must read article from the Times about women scholar's hidden role in Islamic advancement:

.....he expected to find 20 or 30 women, enough to fill a single-volume biographical dictionary. Seven years on, he has found more than 8,000, and his dictionary now stands at 40 volumes.....“If I can find 8,000 in the sources,” he notes, “it means that there were many, many more than that.”

No Way Through - short film about checkpoints

2009-10-11T13:31:00.002+01:00

This short film is fantastic, it shows a glimpse of how life would be like in London if there were checkpoints at every corner. The production, direction, acting, music is all top class - this is what we need to get our message across.

Ada Yonath: Clever woman

2009-10-10T23:04:00.004+01:00

You don't have to be a genius to figure it out, but in Israel, sometimes you have to be:

Yonath noted that keeping 'terrorists' in Israeli prisons motivates the other side to commit abductions. "If we wouldn't have these people here there would be no one to release and no motivation to kidnap."

Ada Yonath is the Israeli woman that won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry and just to show the level of arrogance that Zionists possess here are some of the comments posted on the talkbacks:

You don't appear to understand much. Stay in your laboratory and play with your chemistry set.
go back to your speciality and shut up about matter you don't know
Sounds as though she has been sniffing too much acetone
stick to chemistry or just keep quiet, we were all proud of you, now you just look dumb
A genius in her lab, a total moron outside of it
Amazing how they are awarding some nobel prizes to the mentally ill. Someone better recheck her work.
Always knew that Academia and common sense were often not synonymous. Sadly our brilliant Nobel Prize winner is no exception.
I take back everything good I thought about this woman she is a blooming IDIOT
...she exploited the new celebrity status to speak total nonsense in an area she poorly understands.

Theres more of course. Zionists are crazy!

Hamas faces fateful choice

2009-10-08T21:14:00.006+01:00

An important article by Ali AbuNimah:

Hamas now cannot have it both ways: it cannot talk about "unity" and "reconciliation" with people that it -- and many Palestinians -- view as "traitors." To seek unity with such people is in effect to say that Hamas wishes to join a government of traitors.

Hamas needs to show the Palestinians it can lead them in resisting the PA's collaboration. One thing that may be stopping them is that even if Abbas is ousted and he is forced to resign, who will take his place? Because of the growing strength of Dayton's forces many people think Mohammad Dahlan and his ilk could become the next leaders of the Palestinian Authority. Another factor that could stop Hamas from calling off the reconciliation talks is that the people are repressed in the West Bank and even if they did call for a rebellion against the PA, there would be no guarantees that the people there would respond (only 500 people turned up in Ramallah to express anger against Abbas). Sadly, the West Bank has become like most Arab countries where people are afraid to speak their mind and resist.

The end of Abbas and Fatah

2009-10-07T01:48:00.004+01:00

A videotape of Abbas urging Barak, the Israeli 'defence' minister to continue attacking Gaza is the reason why Abbas deferred the Goldstone report (according to Al-Jazeera):

Brigadier Eli Avraham played a videotape showing a meeting between Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, and Ehud Barak, the Israeli defence minister. The meeting was also attended by Tzipi Livni, Israel's former foreign minister. The video reportedly showed Abbas trying to convince Barak to continue the war on Gaza...

The deferral of the Goldstone report has caused huge ramifications on the Palestinian scene where virtually everyone (Dahlan and co. are working damage control of course) has condemned the PA in various degrees of severity. If the video ever comes out than Abbas' political career and possibly life is over but the existence of the tape is unlikely to be released as long as Abbas continues his subservience to Israel. A PA 'general', Al-Tayyib Abdul Rahim who has a pathological hatred of Hamas is also recorded in a telephone call saying:

....Abdul Rahim says that circumstances were suitable for entry of the Israeli army into Jabalya and al-Shatea refugee camps, and adds that the fall of these two camps would end Hamas's rule in Gaza Strip, Shahab says. Weissglas then told Abdul Rahim that this operation would lead to the death of thousands of civilians, but, according to Shahab, Abdul Rahim said: "They have all elected Hamas, so they are the ones who have chosen their fate, not us."

Abbas' collaboration sinks to new lows

2009-10-02T17:59:00.003+01:00

Mahmood Abbas has sold his soul. Abbas and his party have gone to the dogs (again). Abbas has gone crazy. The latest in his long history of treachery:

In a startling shift, the Palestinian delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Council dropped its efforts to forward a report accusing Israel of possible war crimes to the Security Council, under pressure from the United States, diplomats said Thursday.

Fatah will never, either at present or in the future, get the support of the Palestinian people and if they win any future election - it will be by fraud. Ali AbuNimah from ei also points out that this could have something to do with the beating heart of the Fatah movement - corruption:

Israel will not release a share of the radio spectrum.....enable the launch of a second mobile telecommunications company unless the PA drops its efforts to put Israeli soldiers and officers in the dock over the Israeli operation.....The phone company, Wataniya, was described last April by Reuters as an "Abbas-backed company" which is a joint venture between Qatari and Kuwaiti investors and the Palestinian Investment Fund with which one of Abbas' sons is closely involved.

The Israelis are also complaining (in the form of Khaled Abu Toameh) about the PA's hypocrisy:

During Operation Cast Lead, Palestinian security officers in the West Bank provided Israel with valuable intelligence that contributed to the elimination of many Hamas operatives and "military targets." Moreover, the PA even pressured Israel not to stop the war unless Hamas was removed from power......The PA's "generals" and "colonels" hold daily meetings with their Israeli counterparts to discuss security-related issues......PA and their sons, who continue to do business with Israel both openly and secretly.....

Christian Evangelicals brainwash Muslim girl

2009-10-01T21:26:00.003+01:00

Rifqa Bary, a 17-year old girl raised as a Muslim who converted to Christianity and then ran away from her home to a church group and claimed her parents wanted to kill her (the American media took this up with gusto), appeared on a conference call a few days ago. Let me warn you, this audio clip is emotionally disturbing (from 04:00 onwards):

Her parents want her back saying they don't care what religion she follows and even the police have found absolutely no evidence her parents threatened to kill her:

A Florida law enforcement report has found no credible evidence that a teenager's father threatened to kill her for converting from Islam to Christianity....Investigators stated they could not find any evidence to support a history of abuse.

Evangelicals have been strongly preaching in recent years in trying to convert Muslims and they publicise any Muslim who leaves their religion, from this poor girl here to the son of a Hamas leader. A majority of these people publicising it were never practicing Muslims, mokhan247 from YouTube does an excellent job of exposing this.

More English fascist support for Israel

2009-09-30T16:29:00.005+01:00

The EDL has posted a video on youtube showing its members (in Luton, I presume) burning a swastika. The EDL members also contain a few token black guys and an articulate spokesman:

The spokesman's assertions that they're not racist, far right, BNP etc don't ring true with me when you consider the amount of football hooligans and BNP supporters in their ranks.

20 women to be released from Israeli jails

2009-09-30T11:41:00.004+01:00

Al-Qassam brigades has confirmed that a deal has been reached to release 20 female prisoners:

...the prisoners will be as the following: Four prisoners from Hamas. Five prisoners from Fatah. Three prisoners from the Islamic Jihad. One prisoner of the Popular Front.

This list includes a woman and her child (who is said to be the youngest prisoner in the world). A video of the Israeli captive has been seen by German mediators and will be handed to Israel as proof that he is alive. Hamas has definitely scored a point here, domestically, it has achieved the release of more prisoners from other factions than its own and shown that resistance and patience does work as opposed to the path of normalisation that Abbas is leading.

Existence is Resistance!

2009-09-29T19:33:00.003+01:00

Racism - scourge of the Arab world

2009-09-29T13:23:00.011+01:00

Tribalism and nationalism still plague the Arab world, 1400 years after the Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh) message of unity to the world through Islam. This time its in Iraq, where Black people are being discriminated against:

"Black Iraqis are still seen as slaves although engaged in different sectors of the society and there isn't a law that guarantee our rights as citizens," Salah Hashimi, 38, told IslamOnline.net. "The government says that they don't discriminate and that we are all Iraqis, however, those of us who face daily discrimination know otherwise."

The article is interesting in that it reveals new information to me, for example I didn't know there were 2 million black people in Iraq and I didn't know that the term 'zenji' was a racist word, then again in Palestine we used to call this desert here......'raas el-abd' which means 'head of the slave'. So the issue of racism in the Arab world has no borders, some say Gulf countries are more racist or Lebanon is more racist but its clear that we have a problem in ALL Arab countries with racism towards those who have dark skin. Why is this? Is this because of colonialism in the beginning of the 20th Century? Did we learn to love our white masters so much that we have acquired the love of the colour of their skin?! Or is it because of the phenomena of slavery in the Arab world? We need to learn that racism is totally against the teachings of Islam and anyone who works to eradicate racism in Arab countries needs to be supported. Istighfara Allah.

Photo history of Abbas's collaboration

2009-09-29T13:12:00.010+01:00

Courtesy of Tony Karon:

UPDATE: Looks like Abbas has capitulated to US pressure on settlements:

According to Haaretz, the meeting signaled that Abbas has significantly weakened his negotiating stance. The newspaper states that under massive US pressure, Abbas has dropped the demand for a settlement freeze as a precondition for talks.

'Peace Process' - Deja Vu

2009-09-25T02:07:00.009+01:00

Here we go again. Let me just give you a quick breakdown of the 'summits' and 'meetings' and 'understandings' the Palestinian Fatah leadership has had with the Israelis:

Oslo Accords in 1993 between Arafat and Rabin
Oslo II in 1995, again between Arafat and Rabin
Wye River in 1998 between Arafat and Netanyahu
Camp David Accords in 2000 between Arafat and Barak
Taba summit in 2001 between Arafat and Barak
Roadmap in 2003 between Abbas and Sharon
Annapolis in 2007 between Abbas and Olmert

This is not to mention the hundreds of other photo-ops and secret meetings that have taken place between Palestinian and Israeli negotiators. And what do we have to show for it? This:
Its even worse now than in 2005, not to mention the thousands of Palestinians killed by the Israeli war machine, our leaders assassinated, our houses demolished, our rights taken. This is why we have so much contempt for the so-called 'moderate' leaders of the Palestinians, they do not represent us. The peace process is (as Ali Abunimah from ei puts it):

There is the old joke about a man who is endlessly searching on the ground beneath a street light. Finally, a neighbor who has been watching him asks the man what he is looking for. The man replies that he lost his keys. The neighbor asks him if he lost them under the streetlight. "No," the man replies, pointing into the darkness, "I lost them over there, but I am looking over here because here there is light!"
The intense focus on the "peace process" is a similarly futile search. Just because politicians and the media shine a constant light on it, does not mean that is where the answers are to be found.

The recent 'pressure' exerted by America has of course gone to the dogs:

...the US is really saying to the Palestinians in the wake of Mitchell's failure: "We, the greatest superpower on Earth, are unable to convince Israel -- which is dependent on us militarily, economically and diplomatically -- to abide by even a temporary settlement freeze. Now, you Palestinians, who are a dispossessed, occupied people whose leaders cannot move without an Israeli permit, go and negotiate on much bigger issues like borders, refugees, Jerusalem and settlements, and do better than we did. Good luck to you."

Resistance will never die, no matter how many times collaborators meet with enemies.

Hamas is not al-Qaida - comment by Anas Al-Tikriti

2009-09-23T19:50:00.003+01:00

Anas Al-Tikriti, a prominent British Muslim leader, has written in the Guardian about the comparison of Hamas with Al-Qaida:

He (Khaled Meshal) insisted that the Palestinians were fighting against the occupier who had dispossessed them of their homes and lands, regardless of religion, creed or race. He also went on to confirm that the concept of coexistence was largely present in the Palestinian psyche, and that genocide, as suffered by Jews in Europe (and which he described as "horrible and criminal") was alien not only to the Palestinians but to the inhabitants of the region as a whole.His statement that Jews, Muslims and Christians had for centuries lived side by side – implying there was nothing intrinsic to prevent this happening again in the future – is crucial.

Notice the massive barrage of comments (590!) that have been written in response to this important article. The majority of these comments are pro-Israeli as is the case whenever an article that is deemed to be against the interests of Israel is published.

More racism from the streets of Jerusalem

2009-09-23T19:17:00.004+01:00

Obama has done nothing - NOTHING - to upset Israel and has toed the line on virtually every aspect of the conflict, but still he gets this kind of abuse:

Not surprising of course as Israel is in its very nature racist but the ignorance is still striking.

British National Party - Did you mean......

2009-09-20T01:05:00.005+01:00

An amusing yet powerful image by Yaman09 on twitter:

'English Defence League' plans to march in Leeds

2009-09-18T10:39:00.021+01:00

For details on what happened on the day click here

The 'English Defence League', a coalition of far-right activists, football hooligans and Islamophobes, plan to march in Leeds City Centre on the 31st October. Everywhere these thugs have gone there has been violence and considerable racial tensions. I urge you all to stop them by sending these emails via the hope not hate website. If the protest is not banned, then please join the counter demonstration and show these racists that they cannot intimidate the Muslims of Leeds.

PS: Looks like the EDL is unwittingly supporting the procreation of Muslim couples:

For details on the counter demo in Leeds, click here

Huge collection of Carlos Latuff cartoons

2009-09-18T01:29:00.009+01:00

Carlos Latuff is probably the most prolific pro-Palestinian cartoonist in the world today, I found a huge collection of his art (relating to Palestine) - all high quality. You will probably recognise a lot of his work as it appears on websites and in protests all around the world. Click here to download it.

By the way, the two cartoons on the right of my homepage are by carlos latuff aswell.

Fascists in Birmingham hold the flag of Israel

2009-09-07T00:50:00.004+01:00

More clashes in Birmingham last Saturday, with a group of far right supporters waving the flag of Israel, probably in order to provoke the Muslim anti-fascist protesters.

Turkish animation film for Palestine

2009-09-06T01:55:00.003+01:00

The Turks show once again their true friendship with the Palestinians with the making of the new film, Zeytinin Hayali:

Aljazeera reporter comes under attack from Israel

2009-09-06T01:45:00.003+01:00

Aljazeera has been targeted by US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, now its Israel's turn:

Obama invites Israeli ambassador to Iftar and shuns Muslim community leaders

2009-09-02T18:32:00.003+01:00

Yet more proof that Obama's words are just that - words:

Leaders from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest grassroots American Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, did not attend the Ramadan iftar for not receiving invitations.
CAIR is not alone Other Muslim organizations were also not invited to the White House iftar.
Surprising, while Muslim leaders were absent, Israel’s ambassador in Washington and a group of Jewish rabbis were among the guests.

Hamas's shameful Holocaust denial

2009-09-01T03:13:00.006+01:00

The head of the education committee of Hamas in Gaza has criticized the UN's introduction of the Nazi Holocaust in it's textbooks:

The head of its education committee in Gaza, Abdul Rahman el-Jamal, told the BBC that the Holocaust was a "big lie". He said that to teach it would be to "grant a big favour" to Israel, which has been fighting Hamas for years.

Why do we think that by admitting the holocaust, we grant Israel a victory?! The Holocaust perpetrated by the Nazis on the Jewish people (and other groups) was one of the biggest crimes of the 20st Century and was committed by German Nazis, not Palestinians - admitting it does not in any way invalidate the Nakba. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu said last Saturday:

"...who pays the penance (of the holocaust)? The penance is being paid by the Arabs, by the Palestinians. I once met a German ambassador who said Germany is guilty of two wrongs. One was what they did to the Jews. And now the suffering of the Palestinians."

George Galloway owns another dumb supporter of Israel

2009-08-31T03:12:00.005+01:00

His wife is Yemenese - this therefore gives him the right to go live in Palestine!

Turkish art for Gaza

2009-08-29T05:08:00.007+01:00

Mostly caricatures, a good collectio n of photos from various Turkish artists:

Fatah and Hamas - an impossible reconcilliation?

2009-08-28T17:42:00.003+01:00

Hasan Abu Nimah explains why Fatah could never reconcile with Hamas:

...the PA boasts that these same actions (such as a notorious incident in Qalqiliya in May when PA forces attacked a house where Hamas members were hiding, resulting in six deaths) are evidence that the PA is fulfilling its obligations under the roadmap to "fight terror."
Any indication on the part of the Abbas-controlled PA that it would abandon these commitments would put it in an untenable position with its foreign financiers and backers. Whenever Abbas has been faced with the choice of either peace with Hamas or continued support from his foreign patrons, he has chosen the latter.

Now for something completely different....

2009-08-26T02:34:00.003+01:00

This is a REAL video, not a spoof, this is absolutely genuine. Its a music video by some Lebanese guy and he wants to educate us about the influence of drugs. So he tells us to 'stop popping pills'. Watch it:

Notice the comment by 'Abolfoof': stop making songs, stop makings songs, stop making songs. I totally agree. The Lebanese need to revoke this guys citizenship and ban him from going anywhere near a camera - only then will the world be safe from his tyranny.

PS: Cops!

Maher Zain - Palestine will be free

2009-08-22T14:43:00.002+01:00

A great new music video with some cool animation from an upcoming artist, Maher Zain:

Glen Jenvey - from spy to muslim?

2009-08-20T19:52:00.007+01:00

This is Glen Jenvey's profile according to the Obsession website (Obsession is an Islamophobic film that would make the Nazi propaganda machine proud):

His first job as a spy, was for London authorities.....travel to Iran to gather information on military facilities there.....infiltrated the ‘Tamil Tigers,’ a group credited with the first suicide bombings. Jenvey eventually began using the Internet to infiltrate terrorist organizations. It was through his online work that he developed a relationship, and subsequently helped bring down, Abu Hamza al-Masri, a leading cleric at Finsbury park mosque in London.

To understand the type of person Glen Jenvey is, remember this headline during Israel's war on Gaza?
It has emerged that this news was completely fabricated by Jenvey. The story, alleged, that a post on Ummah forums under the name of someone called 'Abu Islam' said "Have we got a list of top Jews we can target? Can someone post names and addresses?". This was to avenge the blood of the Muslims, apparently. Well this is what hes now said, in his own words:

Brother i’m sorry for the Allan Sugar story plant. I’m retired now from spying on Muslims. I saw a chance to install fear back in Jews who were killing Muslims.I was wrong to use you and your site.If you need any thing to help you in any way in the name of Allah just ask.

But yes the Sun did not know who posted it.I say sorry to you from my heart. if you want show the police and get me arrested. but with the first Ramadan coming i want to clear my past sin’s before i start my fasting and pray.

I would write this on your forum but im blocked out. may Allah reward you for your good work you do.Ameen

Omar Hamza Jenvey

aka

Glen Jenvey

He also appeared on Obsession, whipping up fear of Muslims, here is a video I uploaded:

He has now converted to Islam under the direction of 'School of Shariah' (the offspring of Al-Muhajeroon):

I seriously doubt he is genuine in his conversion to Islam, he probably wants to infiltrate this group and slander Muslims once he is out. This is an extraordinary story though, he is close to Lionheart (a pro-BNP blogger) and he is presented as an anti-terror expert in the media. Very suspicious, if you ask me.

UPDATE: YouTube removed the Obsession video.

Footage of Brimingham clashes between Black and Asian youth and far right extremists

2009-08-13T23:09:00.006+01:00

Last weekend, a group with ties to the BNP called the 'English Defense League' held a rally in Birmingham City Centre against what they called Islamic extremists. For more background information, read this article. Now check this video out, seems like the whole city centre was shut down whilst the 'brawl' happened:

This is exactly what the BNP wants - violence and racial tensions in all the major multicultural cities of the UK. This is becoming a worrying trend though, first BNP wins seats in the EU parliament, then Luton sees clashes and now Birmingham. These are not good signs.

More than 10 Hamas activist tortured to death by PA forces in the West Bank

2009-08-09T03:41:00.006+01:00

Kamal Abu T'iema was a Hamas leader in the West Bank who served 9 years in Israeli jails for his activism. He was also part of the deportees of Marj Al-Zahoor in Lebanon. He died from a stroke he received due to torture he had received from the Preventive Security Forces in Hebron. He was so resilient in his questioning that two more interrogation teams had to be called in to 'do the job':

PA officials have refused to elaborate on his death. On the contrary, some security officials reportedly bragged about “the elimination of the Hamas leader in al-Fawwar.

Since 2007, more than 10 Palestinian activists have been killed by PA forces backed by Fatah, the US, EU and of course Israel.

NOTE: The picture above is not that of Kamal Abu T'iema but is of Haitham Amr, a nurse who was also tortured to death by the PA

Bethlehem congress will not save Fatah

2009-08-08T01:45:00.004+01:00

Much has been made of Fatah's much heralded congress, its first in 20 years. But its becoming clear that the congress itself is only going to cement the corruption and treachery that has become, unfortunately, the hallmark of Fatah:

As Abbas spoke about Gaza, a delegate stood up from his chair, yelling in a repeated and ominous tone, "Death to Hamas!" Nobody seemed bothered by the man's hatefulness......Abbas mentioned how he has been improving security for the state. Upon hearing this, Mohamed Edwan (Head Press Officer to the PA who happened to sit beside me) shook his head and said, "This is a police state, not a state of security."

Mohammad Dahlan (former Fatah warlord in Gaza) is vying for a top position in Fatah. This tells you all you need to know about the congress, if someone like Dahlan can get through the doors and be greeted with open arms then there is no hope for Fatah. All the honourable people in Fatah such as Marwan Barghouti and Hussam Khader have been sidelined and we will see the same crooks re-elected. As one Fatah official put it:

....wished to remain anonymous, said, "There are two planes in this movement: one plane of Dahlanists [Mohammed Dahlan and his cohorts] -- those who spout peace and pragmatism, and another plane of resistance -- those who want to keep armed struggle alive. But there is so much corruption that is occurring from those who hold high positions that I don't think we can come together ... it's between them and us."

Zionist child torture Part VIII

2009-08-07T00:47:00.005+01:00

"They dragged me from my home by the scruff of the neck. The more I cried the more they choked me... They pulled me along on my stomach. My knees were bleeding. They beat me with their guns and kicked me all the way to the jeep"
- Mohammed Khawaja, 13

A former Israeli commander has told the BBC that Israel routinely abuses children and arrests them. Of course the BBC never reported the DCI children human rights report from months ago because it was the Palestinians who were claiming the abuse. Now that a 'Israeli voice' has corroborated these accounts, however, the BBC has seen fit to report them. Nevertheless, it is a good report about one of the most brutal aspects of the occupation - the treatment of our children.

Gaza kids to break kite-flying record

2009-07-30T23:55:00.003+01:00

The children of Gaza are to break a world record for the largest number of kites flown. This is happening in the context of increased cultural activity from Gaza on behalf of Hamas and the UN (which is organising this):

Shocking tale of domestic abuse on IslamOnline

2009-07-30T13:16:00.008+01:00

A woman wrote to the counsellors on IslamOnline about her abusive husband. Read what she has to say:

My husband openly tortures me in front of our child and keeps stressing to him [the child] that man should dominate his wife like how he does and that he should learn the procedure....A few days back I told him about his daily pleasures and the vulgar things he watches.....he became so furious and wild that he hit me all over my body, and punched my face so badly that my mouth bled severely.

Do duaa' for this woman and may Allah be with her.

'Taliban' Nigerian group says the Earth is flat

2009-07-30T11:55:00.011+01:00

If anyone were to create a group that reflects the western stereotypical view of Muslims it would look very much like the group known as 'Boko Haram' (Education is forbidden) in Nigeria. This really is medieval stuff:

"Like rain. We believe it is a creation of God rather than an evaporation caused by the sun that condenses and becomes rain. "Like saying the world is a sphere. If it runs contrary to the teachings of Allah, we reject it. We also reject the theory of Darwinism."

This is a quote from the groups leader, Muhammad Yusuf. The group itself is very secretive and Yusuf himself is wealthy, drives a mercedes and is very well-educated. The group has been responsible for many deaths in Nigeria and has been condemned by Nigeria's Muslims. If you ask me, the group sounds very suspicious and has really come out of the blue - Nigeria has never had a history of Al-Qaeda affiliations.

UPDATE: Muhammad Yusuf has been killed by police in Nigeria. He was captured but then died, presumably shot by the police.

The west is responsible for the Palestinian divide

2009-07-28T12:19:00.003+01:00

Excellent article by Seumas Milne from the Guardian about the role Britain, the US and the EU are playing in kidnapping and torturing Hamas members and supporters in the West Bank - particularly General Dayton:

....highlights the scale of detention without trial in the West Bank — more than 1,000 political prisoners are reportedly held in Palestinian Authority jails – and extrajudicial killings, torture and raids on Hamas-linked social institutions by security forces trained, funded and organised by the US with Israel's blessing.

Now, the article also mentions Fatah members being arrested, but lets be honest here. There has just been a war on Gaza in which collaborators once again played a big part. Said Siyam is widely believed to have been killed due to information relayed to Israel by an informer and some Fatah members have been found by Hamas to be collaborators. It all depends on who you believe, I trust Hamas's judgement, they've been targeted since day 1 but have always strayed on the right path and they are devout Muslims - they would not torture and kill collaborators unless there is no doubt that they were traitors. Allahu Alam.

BBC double standards in coverage of protests

2009-07-26T22:50:00.003+01:00

First of all, watch this here on the BBC website, its a video about a protest about the Iran elections in Leeds. Notice the number of people outside the art gallery - 15, 30 people at the most. Now watch this video from YouTube:

Now, look at 2:47, there are hundreds of people there and this was just one of the protests that happened throughout the war on Gaza and the number would have been triple that if there hadn't been a national demonstration in London at the same time. Any mention of this protest on TV? BBC Look North gave a full 2 minute report for 20 protesters for gods sake! The Gaza protest was 50 times bigger but it didn't even warrant a mention. I shouldn't be surprised of course, these are the people that refused to air an emergency charity appeal for Gaza, what do you expect?

Ronaldo to take part in film about Palestinian girl

2009-07-26T22:30:00.007+01:00

Ronaldo, the Brazilian football superstar, will star as himself in a film about a Palestinian girl that dreams of meeting him:

The film is based on the true story of 13-year-old Alneyrab who dreamed of meeting the sport superstar during his 2005 humanitarian mission to the region but was only able to watch him from a distance.
She dies in a refugee camp in Southern Lebanon after losing a leg to an anti-personnel mine without ever meeting her idol.

Ronaldo's club team in Brazil has also refused to play in Israel and I seem to recall he was mobbed by fans when he visited Ramallah in 2005.

MPs urge Britain to approach Hamas

2009-07-26T02:43:00.006+01:00

Some good news from the British political establishment. The Foreign Affairs Select Committee has urged the government to start making contact with Hamas just like they do with Hezbollah:

...But committee chairman Michael Gapes said the committee saw "few signs that the current policy of non-engagement with Hamas" was effective.

MPs such as George Galloway and Clare Short have been saying this all along of course, but the committee should nevertheless be commended for taking such a positive step.

Racist views from the streets of West Jerusalem

2009-07-26T01:55:00.005+01:00

Not really surprising this video but some unbelievably ignorant comments from the Israelis:

Notice 07:22, when the woman says 'they (the Palestinians) are guests in our country'. This Zionist mindset really beggars belief but when you hear these kind of views expressed it really does signal the end of Zionism. Inshallah.

The truth about the niqab and common misconceptions

2009-07-25T13:28:00.005+01:00

Fatima Barkatulla dispels many myths about the full-face veil worn by some Muslim women. An illuminating piece from The Times:

....most of them are women who were born and brought up in the UK; many are White or Afro-Caribbean Muslim converts to Islam who have chosen to observe it...
...Muslim women who wear the niqab, have been, for decades, passing through airport security in major airports all over the world without cause for security concern.

Internet users paid to spread Israeli propaganda

2009-07-25T12:42:00.004+01:00

The Israeli foreign ministry have set up an 'undercover' team of Internet-savvy personnel to post on twitter, facebook, comments and talkbacks to convey a pro-Israel slant:

In an interview this month with the Calcalist, an Israeli business newspaper, Shturman, the deputy director of the ministry's hasbara department, admitted his team would be working undercover.
"Our people will not say: 'Hello, I am from the hasbara department of the Israeli foreign ministry and I want to tell you the following.' Nor will they necessarily identify themselves as Israelis," he said. "They will speak as net-surfers and as citizens, and will write responses that will look personal but will be based on a prepared list of messages that the foreign ministry developed."

Hasbara is hebrew for 'public explanation' which means propaganda. This explains why within minutes of someone posting an article on the Guardian, for example, that is pro-Palestinian, comments are posted to support Israel. They don't actually support Israel, they're just paid to do so.

Gaza's tunnel industry - photos and video

2009-07-19T13:57:00.005+01:00

Rafah received the brunt of the aerial bombardment by Israel in its recent war on Gaza, they aimed to destroy the tunnels but they failed just as they failed in their other objectives. Some great photos were taken by Zoriah, a war photojournalist, watch this report - it really captures the atmosphere inside the tunnel and his entry into it:

For more photos, click here, all credits go to Zoriah for these amazing photos.

Kunafa world record set in Nablus

2009-07-18T15:39:00.002+01:00

The Guiness record for the largest kunafa in the world has been set. The kunafa was 74 meters long and weighed 1,765 kg. The people of Nablus who have long been known for their famous kunafa deserve this record. However, it seems that the PA is marketing the improved economic situation in Nablus (opening of the shopping festival etc.) as a proof that their path (ie. negotiations) work, this is unfortunate but Nabulsis are clever and they understand what Netanyahu means when he says 'economic peace', full stomachs with no freedom - the life of a slave.

Hamas's military wing launches new website

2009-07-18T13:57:00.006+01:00

The Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades have launched a new English website. Its slick and has news, videos, reports, interviews and a variety of other sections - all of this from the Hamas viewpoint. Hamas is evolving technologically every day and this is good news for all those interested in hearing Hamas's view.

PS: The multimedia sections seems to have problems, shame it sounded like John Humphreys interviewing Abu Obeida!

UPDATE: Website seems to be down,no indication as to why.

New Hamas film is a biopic about Emad Akel

2009-07-18T13:27:00.004+01:00

Hamas have produced a film about Emad Akel, a military commander in the 1990s. The film is the first of its kind to come out of Gaza and this feat is even more incredible when you consider the siege imposed on Gaza. The production and cinematography is obviously far from Hollywood but its a great start:

Akel, 23 at the time, was known as "the ghost" for his many disguises, including dressing up as a Jewish settler with a skullcap. In the early 1990s, he topped Israel's wanted list for his suspected role in killing 11 Israeli soldiers, an Israeli civilian and four Palestinian informers in a series of attacks.In the two-hour movie, titled "Emad Akel," there's plenty of action. The hero frequently leaps out of cars to open fire on Israeli soldiers, prompting bursts of applause from the audience each time.

Zionist child torture Part VII

2009-07-18T00:46:00.005+01:00

“He threatened to pour hot water on my face. ‘I don’t know who threw stones,’ I said. Five minutes later he took me to a place full of thorny bushes. He ordered me to sit in the bushes. I refused. He pushed me and I fell in the bushes. That really hurt me.”
- Islam M, 12 years old

For the full report detailing numerous cases of Palestinian children being taken prisoner and tortured, click here.

True story of Bruno's 'terrorist'

2009-07-16T23:32:00.006+01:00

So, Ayman Abu Aita is going to sue Sacha Baron Cohen for his depiction in his film, Bruno and may he be successful in this because its clear Cohen is just one big liar. The scene with the interview (which can be seen here) is totally misrepresented, when Abu Aita was shown saying "I don't like" he was reacting to a video of Bruno stripping. Cohen also completely made up the story of how he found Abu Aita, the truth is all he did was phone him! And Ayman Abu Aita is clearly not a 'terrorist', hes a self-proclaimed moderate, after all.

At one point, in an apparent attempt to provoke Abu Aita, Baron Cohen showed him video clips of "Bruno" stripping. When Baron Cohen said he wanted to be kidnapped so he could become famous, Abu Aita said he told him firmly, in English: "I reject this," a response that was edited out of the film. Instead, the movie shows Abu Aita reacting to the clips of "Bruno" stripping by saying, "I don't like."

Also, the angry response shown in the film with the translator saying "Get out, get out now!" was put in the editing room by Cohen. It seems like Cohen just wanted to perpetuate the stereotype that Palestinians are angry terrorists and when he didn't get the response he expected, he simply decided to make it up.

West Bank 'economic upsurge' is an illusion

2009-07-16T13:43:00.004+01:00

In Jenin, shopping centres have been opened and some restrictions have been lifted, but when you compare it to a decade ago, there is no comparison. This is because when your situation is so dire even a little relief can seem like a big improvement. This is the case today in the West Bank, thankfully a lot of people can see this:

"If Netanyahu thinks we'll be satisfied with a few more Israeli shoppers, he's kidding himself," said Mohammed Larool, a melon seller. "Our rights as a nation are more important than my selling a few extra melons."

The message from Israel is: don't resist or you'll end up like your brethren in Gaza. Fatah, of course, have subscribed to this position (most of their fighters have surrendered under the amnesty deal) but Hamas and the other resistance factions soldier on. May they continue to do so, inshallah.

Palestine and Iraq - brothers in resistance

2009-07-15T10:15:00.011+01:00

Palestine was thrashed 7 - 0 in the two games but it didn't matter anyway, this was a friendly match between two nations that have suffered throughout the years at the hands of America and Israel:

Mr. Kerkhi said the real heroes of the match were the Palestinians, who had agreed to come to Iraq. “All of the other Arab teams don’t play here because they are afraid,” he said. “Only they had the guts.” A Palestinian midfielder, Assad Abdul-Karim, said, “The Iraqis are our brothers, and we wanted to break their isolation.”

Iraq has a special significance for me as I'm from Jenin, check out an account I wrote a few years ago that was published on Yediot Ahranot:

I doubt you will publish this but I will tell you what my father remembers anyway.

My father was eight years old when the so-called "Six-Day" War started. He and his family had fled to the hills of Jenin (my grandad was in Jordan , but was on his way back to pick his family up and emigrate to Jordan). They had limited food supplies but stayed the night.

My dad doesn't remember much, but one incident stuck in his mind. The Six Day war was referred to in Arabic as al-Naksa (the setback) and was widely perceived as a massive failure for the Arab armies. It was then, my father said, that he lost his faith in the Arabs and believed that only Muslims and Palestinians can solve the conflict.

My father had a clear view of the two sides fighting and he witnessed many Iraqi tanks on one side - but they did not engage in any combat as they had orders to leave. One Iraqi tank, however, refused to return and proceeded to bomb every Israeli tank that appeared on the mountain.

The Iraqi destroyed many tanks and every time he hit one there were cheers in the cave. But then the sound of the Israeli warplanes were heard and the Iraqi tank commander knew that he did not stand a chance, so he got out of his tank and started shouting Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! and then died a martyr.

My father said that he greatly admired the courage of the Iraqi and that we should not rely on anyone but ourselves. Also, my father said for him the war was only 48 hours, and not six days.

Hamas's rule in Gaza - great for law and order

2009-07-14T18:19:00.004+01:00

Interesting interview with Fathi Hammad, the interior minister in Gaza (Said Siyam's replacement). These are the people that were at the forefront of the defeat of Dahlan:

Bruno said he was making a film to help Palestinians

2009-07-13T19:15:00.002+01:00

Ayman Abu Aita (former Al-Aqsa Brigades) was interviewed by Sacha Baron Cohen in his movie, Bruno. Here is a clip from the interview: Now, Abu Eita says that Sacha Baron Cohen had lied about him on the Letterman show and in his interview:

"There was nothing special," continued Aita. "He said he is a German actor making documentaries watched by young people. ... He wanted to make a story to mobilize the young people to help us (Palestinians). ... I didn't have any impression he would use my interview in a bad way." Aita slammed Baron Cohen as a "big liar."

This particular guy had left Al-Aqsa brigades and works for the PA and the PA security forces (he had helped the PA rescue two soldiers who had been lost in the West Bank) so my sympathy towards him is limited.

Collaborators having trouble settling in Israel

2009-07-13T18:58:00.004+01:00

Those poor Palestinian traitors are not getting the welcome they had hoped for in Israel:

"We gave our blood for the sake of the Jews," says one collaborator, who in the past resided in Rafah. "I came out against my people and against my brothers for the sake of the state of Israel. The way you are treating us is not nice."

May they all rot in hell.

Ex-IDF chief admits 2006 Lebanon war not because of kidnappings

2009-07-13T18:48:00.004+01:00

During the outbreak of the 2006 Lebanon war, Israeli apologists left, right and centre were using the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah as an excuse to bomb the country into submission. The truth always comes out in the end, though:

Halutz added that the decision to launch the Lebanon campaign was not derived directly from the kidnapping of IDF soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, but "was based on the need to mount a forceful campaign."

Zionist child torture Part VI

2009-07-12T13:20:00.003+01:00

In Hares, Ihab Shamlawi, a university student, recalled watching as a high school pupil asked soldiers permission to go to the bathroom. "They put him on the floor, they kicked his legs and beat him," he said. Ten or 15 other soldiers were watching, Mr Shamlawi recalled. "They all laughed," he said.

This appeared in the Independent in June.

Jordanian royal family saves Bruno

2009-07-12T12:53:00.009+01:00

Prince Ali, King Abdullah's brother rescued Bruno (played by Sacha Baron Cohen) after he was exposed during an interview with the Jordanian prime minister:

The Jordanian PM demanded to know why “that Zionist comedian” had been allowed into his house. Then the Royal Family intervened. Not the King, who was perhaps away at a Trekkie conference, but his half-brother. Prince Ali is a huge Ali G fan and apparently regards himself as “the real Ali G”. He defused the situation.

These are our leaders of today, we have the King of Jordan spending his time playing on the Playstation 3, we have Saad Harriri of Lebanon entertaining himself on the XBOX, not to mention the massive corruption of the leaders of the Gulf and Egypt. We cannot rely on these leaders to get us anywhere. Period.

BNP Leader says Islam is a cancer

2009-07-11T16:13:00.002+01:00

Nick Griffin has continued his recent tirade of anti-Islam comments by advocating treating Islam as a cancer:

He added: "Western values, freedom of speech, democracy and rights for women are incompatible with Islam, which is a cancer eating away at our freedoms and our democracy and rights for our women and something needs to be done about it". The BNP leader said he agreed with a candidate for the Flemish far right party, Vlaams Belang, who had declared: "We urgently need global chemotherapy against Islam to save civilisation."

His comments have not been carried by a single media outlet apart from Channel 4. Seems to me his comments are not really news-worthy, after all hes only talking about Muslims - right?

Church sign in USA says Islam is the devil

2009-07-09T21:39:00.004+01:00

A church in America has put up a sign saying 'Islam is the Devil', the news team that broke the story interviews the pastor, listen to what the fool had to say:

Han Chinese mobs torture Uighur Muslims

2009-07-09T20:19:00.004+01:00

I found a video online but Im not sure of its authenticity. The description says it is a Chinese mob beating two Uighurs but I cannot understand the language so if anyone can translate I would be grateful. I must warn you however - this video is very distressing:

Uighur Muslims - incident that sparked the bloodshed

2009-07-08T14:04:00.005+01:00

Uighur (pronounced weegur) Muslims have been oppressed by China ever since Communist Rule in 1949. Because the Communist Party saw religion as a “bourgeois” conception (exploiting the poor) they repressed Islam in ways which are much worse than in Western Countries:

....tells of how the Uighurs were forced to breed pigs, and mosques were shut down and occasionally used as pork warehouses, to add terrible insult to devastating injury...... nighttime patrols of student dormitories to ensure no prayers are taking place, the banning of fasting during Ramadan, outlawing of Qur’an study meetings and religious schools, the curbing of mosque building, the identification and surveillance of religious leaders, and the banning of history books that do not conform to the “accepted” version of history...

The recent riots and ethnic clashes were quelled with brute force and lies by the Chinese. The incident that sparked the riots was in a Guandong toy factory where a rumour arose that some Uighur Muslims had raped some Han Chinese workers. This accusation was totally unfounded yet Han Chinese rampaged throughout the factory killing and maiming many Uighur Muslims. This incident was caught on camera:

After this incident Uighur Muslims protested peacefully against the muted response of the Chinese, the authorities then shot at the Uighurs and the protest became violent. These are the images that we see today - Han Chinese roaming the streets of Urumqi (the capital of the predominantly Muslim region of China) with sticks and shovels.

Ofcourse, I caution my Uighur brothers and sisters not to trust America to help with their struggle against the oppression of China. They will use you and throw you to the dogs when you are of no use to them. Stick with your principles and if Allah wills it he will grant you victory.

UPDATE: The Chinese authorities have closed all mosques in Urumqi, under the pretext of preventing ethnic violence.

Interview with rap artist turned Muslim

2009-07-07T21:30:00.006+01:00

Loon, the rapper from Bad Boy Records has converted to Islam - hes the guy who does a verse in Usher's hit 'I Need a Girl'. Subhanallah.