Feeling myself subdued....

Test. Comments should be disabled.

Subject off limits per EU and UN orders. Coming soon to a courthouse near you.

Closed until further notice.

Musharraf Cracks Down

Pakistan is trying to live up to Time's (actually Newsweek's, the cover with Islamic Rage Boy -- Chip) most dangerous label.

Islamic extremism in Pakistan?!

ISLAMABAD — Police wielding assault rifles rounded up opposition leaders and rights activists today after Pakistan's military ruler suspended the constitution, ousted the top justice, and deployed troops to fight what he called rising Islamic extremism.

Michelle Malkin has a good summary and analysis.

Jeffrey Imm:

The failure of American leadership to have a policy on Islamism has prevented the ability to provide a pro-active coherent policy in Pakistan that addresses both the strategic issues of pro-Islamist Pakistani public sentiment along with support in areas of the government and public for the Taliban, as well as the tactical issues of fighting “extremists” in Afghanistan who have found safe haven in NWFP in Pakistan.

Ali Eteraz suggests Secretary Rice might be insincere about democracy in Pakistan. Insincerity in diplomacy?!

Disengaged western audiences, pumped full of the current pro-democracy intoxicants, will almost universally decry Musharraf's behaviour. I decry it too, precisely because I am a disengaged westerner and I have that luxury.

However, the story in Pakistan is not so straightforward. What I am being told by bazari merchants, some young professionals, and some industrialists in Karachi and Lahore is that they merely care for stability, whether it comes in the form of the military, or in the form of democracy. Incidentally, many of them believe that it is Musharraf who is more likely to assure that stability. A couple of people, with middle class businesses, suggested to me that Musharraf should behave more like a dictator; a secular version of the previous Islamist dictator, Zia ul Haq, in order to assure stability for business and economic growth.

However, that is a minority view. The democratic push in Pakistan is not some sort of romantic affair pitting slaves against a demonic genocidal Stalin. Musharraf made his errors (like the Red Mosque fiasco and the
disappearances linked to the War on Terror) but he is not homicidal. Cinema, music, the arts and freedom of press are thriving in Pakistan. The popular satire programme - "We are Expecting" - has a regular character mocking Musharraf, which does nothing more than grunt and proclaim "Yes!" in a loud voice.

Musharraf has, in fact, helped the Pakistani economy and business, admitted even by democracy-promoting analysts. Until this year, when the democracy push struck, construction projects were booming and money from Dubai was pouring in. In fact, a study published by the anti-military newspaper, Dawn, showed that: "Nonetheless, in the eight year period since the latest take over by the military, the size of the economy increased by almost 50% and that of income per head of the population by nearly 25%."

I hope all those Islamic Bombs stay tucked away.

A.Q. Khan says Western governments repeatedly tried to prevent Pakistan from developing a nuclear weapon capability, but they were foiled by the greed of their own companies: "Many suppliers approached us with the details of the machinery and with figures and numbers of instruments and materials ... In the true sense of the word, they begged us to purchase their goods. And for the first time the truth of the saying, They will sell their mother for money,' dawned on me. We purchased whatever we required..."

PJM's giant link dump

Al Qaeda Also Fed Up With Ground Zero Construction Delays

Al Qaeda Also Fed Up With Ground Zero Construction Delays -- Onion News Network

Guardian's Neocon Fascists Seek World Domination

Uncle Sam needs a push

there is no longer any part of the world that is not our business, too

This breathtaking push for hegemony is reminiscent of of Genghis Khan. Why did they choose to reveal their plan for world domination right now?

Ending the embargo on Castro's Cuba, of course.

Kathryn Robinson, of the Australian National University: WTF?!

Some lies are easier to spot than others.

Queensland Islamic Council spokesman Sultan Deen said it was unacceptable to kill someone because they chose to leave their religion.

He said families should use other methods to convince a relative not to abandon their religion, but said killing was never appropriate.

“There are other ways to deal with it, you talk to them and try to work it out but you don't kill them, if they're going to go they are going to go,” he said.

“In no circumstances in Islam are you allowed to take another person's life, no-one can say the Koran tells you to do that.”

Islam expert Kathryn Robinson, from the Australian National University, said most Muslims would be horrified by the death.

“Clearly there is something going on about the type of control that father wanted to have over his family, but you can't blame the religion.”

Really? I'm sure the father who killed his wife in an effort to kill his daughter is familiar with the central tenants and texts of Islam. Otherwise he wouldn't have acted as he did. After "the Qur'an" (only slightly less explicit on death for apostasy) come ahadith and the Sunnah. Those are horribly explicit on the issue.

Woe to him who changes (his religion) after me.

...for the Prophet said, 'If somebody (a Muslim) discards his religion, kill him.' "

' I would have killed them according to the statement of Allah's Apostle, 'Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.'"

Search "Islam kill religion" for more.

What would we do without "Islamic expert(s)"?

Robert Spencer's Jihad/Dhimmi Watch is always a good resource for the unvarnished truth about Islam if the clear statements of the ayatollahs and imams aren't available due to the mainstream media blackout of their off-camera remarks. Death for apostasy in Islam is not debatable by serious students of Islam.

Pretending something isn't true is not the same thing as dealing with the issue forthrightly. It's possible to mount arguments against the morality and behaviors of the Seventh Century, but only if the so-called experts first admit the problem exists. The Australian National University should ask for its money back.

Word of the Century?

I hope it's not sahwa.

Contrast that very important bit of information with this well-funded tripe at the Boston Globe. It's from Hah-vahd.

It's not a big secret unless you still rely on newspapers or TV for information. That's so last millenium.

Wake-Up Call: Brigitte Gabriel

Pay particular attention to the first question 31:25 into the presentation.
Europe is doomed if that's the best solution they can muster. Gabriel takes the passive European multiculturalist "moderate Muslims" solution out of the park, over the street, and down the railroad tracks. "Actions speak louder than words."

Amen!

Another brave woman, Diana West, wonders about the moderates as well.

It's a female three-fer. This is the only article I've ever seen which deals with the very real problem of radical Islam at universities.
Candace de Russy notices a real root cause: higher education. The usual tropes about poverty and alienation almost never reflect actual jihadis, who tend to be well off and educated.