The hidden lives of child widows

Child widows, some less than ten years old, face bleak futures as they bear the triple disadvantage of gender, marital status, and being underage. Research is now revealing the hidden lives of these children, and it’s time to hold governments to account under international law.

Good thinking: Verizon drops Muslim TV channel year after station owner beheads wife

Ironically, when Hassan, a former banker, and his wife started the station in 2004, they described it as a news and opinion channel aimed at portraying Muslims in a positive light following the Sept. 11 attacks. “Every day on television we are barraged by stories of a ‘Muslim extremist, militant, terrorist, or insurgent,’” Hassan said in a 2004 press release. “But the stories that are missing are the countless stories of Muslim tolerance, progress, diversity, service and excellence that Bridges TV hopes to tell.”

Contrasting Israeli democracy with increasingly “Islamic” Palestine

Can this imbalance, strike that, this heaven & earth contrast, ever narrow down? To put it bluntly: Will Arab-Islamic Palestine ever change?

Another peckish Palestinian terrorist in custody

Islamic Jihad skank has stopped eating. This one’s parents are also staging a hunger strike in a tent outside their home and are calling for the kidnapping of IDF soldiers.

Let’m all starve.

Killing babies no different from abortion, experts say

Parents should be allowed to have their newborn babies killed because they are “morally irrelevant” and ending their lives is no different to abortion, a group of medical ethicists linked to Oxford University has argued.

Gilad Atzmon speech at the Islamic Society of York Region

I imagine Zafar Bangash and his Jew-hating congregants were delighted:

“I was asked to talk to you today about the on-going dispute within our ranks between those who support the One State Solution for the Israeli Palestinian conflict, and those who advocate Two States for the two people.

Interestingly enough, this is a topic I hardly comment on, and not because I am short of vision, opinion or ideas, but rather because I do believe that the fate of the people in Palestine and Israel should be decided by the Israelis and the Palestinians themselves. I, for instance, fail to see what qualifies a NYC Jewish academic or activist to determine how people should live in Palestine or anywhere else. Furthermore, I have never seen a Palestinian trying to advise Western solidarity activists how to run their life. I argue then, that our ‘interventionist’ enthusiasm to preach to others on how they should live is actually slightly pretentious.

But the subject is obviously deeper: in spite of the fact Israel is an organic sovereign State — it is already recognised as a one State by the nations, it has a single sewage system, one electric grid, one pre-dial international code — many Western world leaders insist that it should actually be divided into two. But don’t you think that it is pretty unusual for the ‘international community’ to blindly follow the Zionist ideology and draw a racially inspired line between the two people on the land?

So, rather than entering an endless and futile debate here, I propose that we should begin from a point at which we all agree: I presume that we all accept that Israel is currently a one State, yet it is dominated politically and spiritually by an ethnocentric discriminatory political system.

Israel defines itself as the Jewish State and the practical meaning of it is pretty devastating. It is racially driven. Israeli laws favour the Jewish population over the indigenous people of the land. Israel is impervious to universal and ethical thoughts. It is basically set to serve one tribe at the expense of the people of the land.

I would insist that in order to tackle any subject to do with Israel/Palestine conflict resolution we must first understand; what is Israel is all about? Surely, we must ask what the Jewish nature of Israel entails. We should, once and for all, grasp the relationship between Zionism and Jewishness.

Zionism presented itself initially as a Utopian promise to bring to life a new ‘authentic ethical and civilised Jew’; it promised to make Jews into ‘people like all other people’. But the Israeli reality has proved to be the complete opposite of that aspiration. Zionism has totally failed. The Israelis have been proven to be the most unethical collective in the history of the Jews. One may wonder, why, where and when did it all go so wrong? Why did Zionism fail? If Zionism was a unique moment of Jewish reawakening and self-reflection, then why didn’t it provide on its promises? I believe that the answer is devastating. Zionism was doomed from its very beginning, for in spite of its pseudo-secularist agenda, it was entangled with a quasi-religious ideology, and inevitably, it transformed the Bible into a land registry, and turned God into an estate agent. It was the Jewishness of the Jewish State then, that prevailed over the early Zionist utopia. It is the Jewishness in Israel that has lead to ethnic cleansing, segregation, isolation, and ultimately, the resurrection of the European ghetto walls.

In order to contemplate a prospect of a peaceful future then, we must be able to understand the complicated relationship between Jews, Zionism, Israel and Jewishness, and we have to ask whether there is any lucid vision of peace within the Jewish ideological and cultural discourse.

But are we even allowed to ask these questions? I say certainly yes, we must — after all, Israel openly, consciously and even proudly defines itself as the Jewish State. Its air-planes drop bombs on densely populated Palestinian neighbourhoods whilst decorated with Jewish symbols. Surely then, we are entitled to ask what Jewishness means and what is its role within the Jewish psyche and spirit.

In my book The Wandering Who I have attempted to untangle this knot. I have tried to understand what is Jewish identity politics all about? I have exposed the continuum between Zionism, Jewish anti-Zionism and some elements within the left. In the book I try to find out, what is the meaning of Jewishness and how is it related to Jewish politics and Jewish political power?

In the last few pages of the book I elaborate on a fictitious peace scenario in which an imaginary Israeli Prime Minister who grasps, pretty much out of the blue, that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be resolved with just a single statement.

In a press conference, the imaginary Israel PM announces to the world and his/her people:

‘Israel realises its unique circumstances and its responsibility for world peace. Israel calls the Palestinian people to return to their homes. The Jewish state is to become a state of its citizens, where all people enjoy full equal rights’.

Though shocked by the sudden Israeli move, political analysts around the world would be quick to realise that, considering Israel is the representative of world Jewry, such a simple Israeli peaceful initiative won’t just resolve the conflict in the Middle East, it would also bring to an end to two millennia of mutual suspicion and resentfulness between Christians and Jews. Some right-wing Israeli academics, ideologists and politicians join the revolutionary initiative and declare that such a heroic unilateral Israeli act could be the one and only total and comprehensive fulfilment of the Zionist dream, for not only have Jews returned to their alleged historical home, they also have managed, at last, to love their neighbours and be loved in return.

But don’t hold your breath — as much as such an idea is thrilling, we shouldn’t expect it to happen any time soon, for Israel is not an ordinary state and such a scenario doesn’t fit into its Jewish ethno-centric ideology that is driven by exclusiveness, exceptionalism, racial supremacy and a deep inherent inclination toward segregation.

The meaning of it is very concerning. For Israel and Israelis to fulfill the initial Zionist promise and become ‘people like other people’, all traces of ideological superiority must be suppressed first. For the Jewish state to lead a peace initiative, Israel must be de-Zionised – it should first stop being the Jewish State. Similarly, in order for an imaginary Israeli PM to bring peace about, he or she must be de-Zionised first.

As things stand, the Jewish State is categorically unable to lead its people into reconciliation. It lacks the necessary ingredients needed to think in terms of harmony and reconciliation — at present, Israel can only think in terms of Shalom , a term which, in reality, only means ‘peace and security for the Jews’.

But what about world Jewry; can they push their Israeli brothers towards a reconciliation? I don’t actually think that they can. I recently came across some devastating statistics gathered by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR). The poll studied ‘The attitudes of Jews in Britain towards Israel’. It revealed that “the vast majority of (British Jewish) respondents exhibit strong personal support for, and affinity with, Israel: 95% have visited the country; 90% see it as the “ancestral homeland” of the Jewish people, and 86% feel that Jews have a special responsibility for its survival.”

Though some Jewish ‘progressive’ voices insist to tell us that Diaspora Jews are drifting away from Israel and Zionism, the JPR report reveals the complete opposite — Nine out of ten British Jews feel close affinity towards a war criminal, ethnic cleanser, racist discriminatory state.

But what about the one out of ten Jew who openly opposes Israel? Is he or she going to speak out and help us to get the message of peace across? I am not so sure either. It is more likely that he or she are going to do any thing they can to prevent us from from talking about Jewishness and the fact that 90% of their brothers identify with the Jewish state. Ahead of my Toronto appearance, the organisers of tonight’s event were subject to endless harassment by various Jewish ‘anti’ Zionist organisations and individuals. Like their Zionist brothers most Jewish anti Zionists are largely concerned with Jewish tribal matters– they will fight anti Semitism, ‘Holocaust denial’ or any attempt to understand Jewishness from a universal perspective. Yet, as the JPR poll reveals, they will achieve very little within their respective communities.

But the situation may not be totally grim. I am actually slightly optimistic. For more than a while I am convinced that the only people who can bring peace about are actually the Palestinians, because Palestine, against all odds and in spite of the endless suffering, humiliation and oppression, is still an ethically-driven ecumenical society.

So what do we do for the time being — should we fight for one state or two states? I guess that you gather by now that I am a strong supporter of a one State. I would love to see Israel being transformed into a state of its citizens. I would also openly admit that I do realise that this State won’t be a Jewish State. It will be Palestine. It is about time to say it openly–Israel belongs to the past. And yet, I contend that it is the facts on the ground that would determine the future of the region. And what we see on the ground maybe encouraging.

In spite of the, pain, animosity and distrust between the two people, there is one principle both Israelis and Palestinian would agree upon, namely “Two People, One Hummus”. It may sound frivolous, banal or trivial to say that, but it is actually far more profound than just a culinary suggestion. Israelis are gradually becoming the minority on the land. As I once heard Palestinian Ambassador to Britain Manuel Hassassian commenting, ‘Israel has many lethal bombs, the Palestinians have only one bomb, the demographic one’.

Interestingly enough, when Israelis want to feel authentic, they do not speak in Yiddish or Aramaic, they actually swear in Arabic and eat hummus. The meaning of it is simple, deep in their hearts the Israelis know that Palestine is the land and Israel is just a state. When Israelis want to bond with the Zion they actually plagiarise the indigenous people of the land, for deep inside the Israeli knows that the sky, the sea, Al Quds, Mount Olive, the Sea of Galilee, the Wailing Wall, the Arabic language and the Hummus belong to the land. They also grasp that oppression, exceptionalism, supremacy belong to the State — their own Jewish State.

‘Two People one Hummus’ is my image of peace and reconciliation. The Land will Stay forever — the failing Jewish State is already subject to historical research. The two people will dine together — and they won’t just share the hummus: they may even share the pita bread between them.”

Here’s something sure to piss off the Israel Apartheid Week Jew haters at U of T

Video: Your daily dose of Palestinian savagery

Stoning Jews in their cars.  Rabid animals.

Muslim Brotherhood lawmaker: Arab Spring headed to Iran

Essam al-Arian

A senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood and newly anointed Egyptian lawmaker warned Monday that the revolutions that have recently been sweeping the Middle East will also reach Iran.

Essam al-Arian, the head of the Foreign Affairs committee in the new Egyptian parliament, said that Egypt must examine how it could lead the changes in the Middle East, known as the Arab Spring, which he said would also reach Iran.

Al-Arian’s comment marked the first time an official representative of the Muslim Brotherhood spoke openly about a possible uprising in Iran.

There was also harsh criticism in the Foreign Affairs committee meeting in Egypt’s parliament over Egypt’s approval for two Iranian ships to pass through the Suez Canal. Al-Arian responded to the criticism, saying that Egypt is tied to international treaties and therefore could not prevent the passage of the ships.

This Muslim Brotherhood position fits with their ideological stance, which sees Shia Islam as an unwanted denomination, and also fits their political stance, which sees the Egyptian uprising as a product of Egypt that was meant to remove Mubarak’s dictatorial regime, and not part of an Islamic revolution, like Iran wants to present it.

“Al Quds” my ass

Good Lord: Student arrested in Iran after sewing his lips shut

Dariush Jalali, a student at Yasuj University in southwest Iran, has reportedly been arrested after he had sewn his lips shut to protest the pressure he had been facing over his political activism.

Meet Stephen, a white supremacist Nazi in Montreal who converted to Islam

H/T Vardit

Introducing little Imad Mughniyah

Weep for this sweet little boy.

NDP “disappointed” over defunding of Palestine House

The disgraceful official opposition:

“New Democrats are disappointed by the decision of the Conservative government to arbitrarily terminate funding for settlement services at Palestine House. Organizations like Palestine House provide essential services to help newcomers adjust to life in Canada.

“Palestine House settlement services have been funded continuously by Citizenship and Immigration Canada for over eighteen years. They have helped thousands of New Canadians in the Mississauga community with programs to help with language training and skills development.   Importantly, these clients come from all corners of the world, from all faiths and backgrounds.

“Given the high quality and success of its programming, it’s clear the Minister cancelled this funding for political reasons, all of which have turned out to be spurious.   And it’s the communities that rely on these services that are hurt most by this kind of interference. The Minister must stop playing politics and reverse his decision.

“This is the just the latest in a long line of politically-motivated funding cuts to public service organizations.  From Palestine House to ecumenical KAIROS, this government’s unbalanced approach to the Middle East is hurting Canada’s reputation and isolating us on the world stage.”

Hilarious Spoof on Auschwitz Gas Chambers

Nuke Iran.

Soldiers nearly lynched by Arabs in Haifa

Savages:

Arab Israelis viciously assault two soldiers in civilian clothing early Saturday; one victim’s head ‘engraved’ by knife-wielding assailant; attackers use bats, rocks.

Tip: How to get rid of a Quran (without getting killed)

The Quran is the most sacred object in the daily lives of Muslims and burning copies of the holy book is considered an offense against God.

It is so important in the faith that Islamic teaching and scholarly interpretations spell out how it should be handled, including directing anyone who touches it to be in a state of ritual purity as well as how to dispose of a faulty or damaged copy.

Muslim scholars say it is better to lock up tarnished copies in a safe place, shred them or soak them in water until the letters are no longer visible. Burning is permissible only when there is no other choice, and it must be done under strict controls and only by believers, they say.

Muslims believe that copies of the Quran carry the direct words of God and should never be defiled, but the books can be disposed of if they are abused, tread upon or suffering from wear and tear.

The burning of Qurans that had been thrown in a pile of trash at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan has prompted four days of protests and violence that left 20 Afghans and two Americans dead. An apology by President Barack Obama has not calmed enraged Muslims, who remember previous incidents of Quran desecrations, which are perceived as an offense to the religion.

Islam teaches that the holy book is the direct word of God, received by the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel, and it defines the belief and conduct for followers of the religion.

“These are the words of God. Any word in the book, either the name of Allah or any letter must be revered and protected,” said Abdel-Moeti Bayoumi, a theology professor at Cairo’s prominent Islamic Al-Azhar University. “Burning is offensive. God is trying to spare humans going to hell, so the idea of burning is unfavorable.”

Bayoumi said most Muslims would not dispose of a Quran even if it was damaged but would instead lock it up in a protected place.

But he said scholars have agreed that it is permissible to immerse the pages of a damaged book in water until the words are dissolved, then to throw it in water considered pure. It is also possible to shred any damaged copies, then bury them, he said.

The unrest in Afghanistan started Tuesday, when Afghan workers at the sprawling Bagram air base noticed that copies of the Quran and other Islamic texts were in the trash that coalition troops dumped into a pit where garbage was being burned.

U.S. officials said the materials had been taken from a library at a detention facility because they contained extremist messages or inscriptions. Writing inside a Quran is forbidden in the Islamic faith, although it was unclear whether the handwritten messages were found in the holy book or other reading materials.

Another Al-Azhar scholar, Salah Zidan, said the burning of the holy book at the hands of American soldiers was an act many Muslims perceived as a “crime.” He said burning the holy book should only be done as a last resort such as when a safe place can’t be found.

The Quran was considered a miracle because Muhammad — who was illiterate — was chosen by God to convey his final message to humanity over a couple of decades, according to Islamic beliefs.

Muhammad’s companions memorized the Quran and wrote it down. It was only made in its current form in a collection of 114 Surras, or verses, after the prophet’s death in 632.

“The Quran is protected in the hearts of people and memorized, so it is always protected,” said Sheik Abul-Kheir Ahmed, another Al-Azhar cleric who teaches law and Islamic jurisdiction.

SOURCE

Headline of the day: “Pigs in the presidency, and in a police station”

Pakistan fights growing boar population:

With a police officer wounded and the presidential palace breached, the Pakistani capital has launched a fresh offensive against a uniquely feared enemy in the Muslim country — the city’s ever expanding population of wild boar.

Each night, packs of the hairy beasts emerge from Islamabad’s river beds, parks and scrubland to rifle through the overflowing rubbish bins of its mostly wealthy residents and growing number of restaurants.

City authorities are laying poison and have announced free hunting permits to cull the wild pigs’ numbers. But to make sure residents don’t get caught in the crossfire, they only allow shotguns. There have been few takers. Hunters are wary of getting arrested by the police, or even worse — getting mistaken for a terrorist.

The animals can weigh up to 180 to 220 pounds (80 kilograms to 100 kilograms) and have razor sharp teeth. Adult males come armed with upward curving tusks. While they scurry off at the site of humans, they charge when cornered, alarmed or wounded and are a major cause of traffic accidents in the city.

The latest chapter of man versus hog played out in a city center police station last week.

“Someone shouted ‘watch your back’ but before I could look round the animal had hit me,” said Sajjad Hussain, who was on duty when the animal slipped in past the high, razor wire-topped blast walls after guards opened the gates to let in a car.

Hussain had a gash in his stomach that required eight stitches and is on medical leave.

The swine was even more unlucky. In his rush to escape, he bounded into a large pit where police barracks are being constructed. Trapped by high walls, he was an easy target for officers out to avenge their wounded colleague. Not quite fish in a barrel, but close.

“The pig was like a terrorist. We shot him down,” said station chief Fayaz Tanooli. “I have told the guards if another pig gets in then they will be dismissed.”

Repugnant, dumbass celebrity of the day

Sting.

“At that time, Assad was relatively new to power and regarded as Westernized and, so, a potentially democratizing influence in the Middle East.”

Yeah, waaaaay back in 2008 no one knew anything about Bashar Assad’s regime.

Forbes ranks Qatar as the world’s wealthiest country

Emir of Qatar

The business magazine which backed its rankings with 2010 data, reported that the “adjusted for purchasing power, Qatar booked an estimated GDP per capita of more than $88,000 for 2010.”

List of endorsers of Israel Apartheid Week in Toronto

• Canada Palestine Association
• Caribbean Studies Students’ Union (UT)
• The Centre for Women and Trans People at the University of Toronto
• Common Cause
• Conference of the United Church of Canada
• Educators for Peace and Justice
• Equity Studies Students’ Union
• Faculty for Palestine
• Graduate Geography and Planning Student Society (GGAPSS) – Toronto
• The Holy Land Awareness and Action Task Group of SW Presbytery in Toronto
• International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network – Canada
• International Jewish Voices – Canada
• Labour for Palestine
• No One Is Illegal – Toronto
• Not in Our Name
• Ontario Public Interest Research Group – Toronto
• Ontario Public Interest Research Group – York
• Palestine House Community Centre
• The Public Health Social Justice Collective (PH SJC) – Toronto
• Queers Against Israeli Apartheid
• Socialist Project
• Teachers for Palestine
• Toronto District
• International Socialists
• Toronto Bolivia Solidarity
• Toronto New Socialists
• Women in Solidarity with Palestine
• York University Free Press

SOURCE

Shocking Jew hatred in Vancouver

Canada in 2012: Jews fearing for their lives. Sickening:

Anti-Israel activists are stepping up their activities ahead of “anti-Israeli apartheid week,” whose organizers have pledged will see operations against Israeli establishments worldwide.

One of the cities already plagued by such activities is Vancouver, Canada. Israeli Shanni Bar-Oz, who owns a store carrying Israeli-made toiletries in down-town Vancouver, says the alarmingly growing rate of protests by anti-Israel activists, has her fearing for her safety.

Bar-Oz, 33, said her store is often targeted by anti-Israel protesters shouting anti-Semitic slogans.

During the last bout of rallies, she recounted, people arrived at the store to target her personally: “They were shouting anti-Semitic slogans like ‘Heil Hitler.’

“On the first day (of the protests) one of my employees called me in tears – there were dozens of people standing outside the store and shouting. They had a doll in the image of Lieberman and one of a vulture. It was horrible,” she recalled.

The protesters do more than just block the entrance to her store – they distribute flyers of anti-Israeli propaganda: “It wreaks havoc on my business reputation. I have to explain to my clients and my investors why I’m under attack.

“I’m very proud of being an Israeli, but it’s not easy” she told Ynet. “I’ve become an ambassador of sorts – I keep having to explain Israel to people, but all I do is sell soap.”

Bar-Oz contacted the Jewish leadership in Vancouver and informed them of her plight. “I asked for their help because I’m all alone here. I have no one else to turn to. I told them I feel like I’m exposed on the front line.

“I really feel all alone here. I’m a sitting duck and I don’t feel safe,” she added.

READ THE REST

Hamas severs ties with Assad, backs Syrian revolt

Leaders of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas turned publicly against their long-time ally Syrian President Bashar Assad of Syria on Friday, endorsing the revolt aimed at overthrowing his dynastic rule.

The policy shift deprives Assad of one of his few remaining Sunni Muslim supporters in the Arab world and deepens his international isolation. It was announced in Hamas speeches at Friday prayers in Cairo and a rally in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas went public after nearly a year of equivocating as Assad’s army, largely led by fellow members of the president’s Alawite sect, has crushed mainly Sunni protesters and rebels.

In a Middle East split along sectarian lines between Shi’ite and Sunni Islam, the public abandonment of Assad casts immediate questions over Hamas’s future ties with its principal backer Iran, which has stuck by its ally Assad, as well as with Iran’s fellow Shi’ite allies in Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement.

Germans concerned Iran conflict increasing Bratwurst costs

The famous Nuremberg bratwurst is finger-sized, filled with minced pork meat, spiced with marjoram, and stuffed into sheep’s intestines. Over the centuries those intestines have come from Iran to local butchers in the Bavarian city. But instability in Iran and rising prices have driven the cost of producing the well-known bratwurst up, and could force some local producers to look for alternative sources.

Claus Steiner, a master butcher whose family has been in the business since 1975, says he has been stockpiling sheep intestines in anticipation of further rising costs. According to Steiner, 90 meters (295 feet) of the sausage skins, which would be enough for 1,000 of the tiny bratwurst, cost about €6.30 ($8.44) in the summer of 2010, but now costs about €17.20.”There are other countries of origin,” he says, including Turkey and New Zealand. “But traditionally the best sheep’s intestines come from Iran.”

Steiner says he heard one supplier raised its prices six times in 2011. He credits the price increases with instability in Iran, fewer sheep being slaughtered in the country, and more competition from places like China, which is stepping up its sausage production.

Protected by the EU

The European Union has protected the “original Nuremberg bratwurst,“ stipulating that they must be produced in Nuremberg, and made to certain specifications on their size (7 to 9 centimeters), weight (25 grams maximum), and ingredients (pork meat with sheep’s intestines casings). As a result, producers can’t swap out the costly sheep’s intestines for other, less costly, varieties.

Some of the other bratwurst manufacturers in Nuremberg contacted Friday refused to comment directly on the issue, putting off requests to the umbrella group representing their interests: The Society for the Protection of the Nuremberg Bratwurst.That group, which, among other things, offers visitors to Nuremberg a “Bratwurst City Tour,” has asked its members for feedback, and plans to issue a statement on the issue next week.About 1 billion bratwurst are produced in Nuremberg each year, the umbrella group estimates. The city is home to four larger manufacturers and hundreds of smaller butcher shops. Several local restaurants, including some dating back to the Middle Ages, specialize in the sausage, which is often served with sauerkraut or potato salad, and comes in servings of six or more, often on a heart-shaped plate.

The Nuremberg bratwurst, which dates back to the 1300s, is the subject of legends. The city’s website proudly tells the story of Hans Stromer, a patrician and town magistrate in the Middle Ages, who, after being sentenced to life in prison for “not being loyal to his city,” made one simple request: to be given two Nuremberg bratwurst each day. His wish was granted, and he ended up eating 27,000 of the bratwurst over 38 years in jail. It is a record which, according to the city, remains unbeaten.

SOURCE

Islamist rise in Syria challenge to Jordan: analysts

An eventual fall of Syria’s regime, followed by the rise of an Islamist government could create a quandary for Jordan, a small country that has strategic ties with its northern neighbor, analysts say.

At the same time, even if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime survives pro-democracy protests against his 11-year rule, relations between Amman and Damascus are unlikely to improve, at least in the short term.

“Jordan is caught between a rock and a hard place, whether the current Syrian regime stays or goes,” political analyst Mohammad Abu Rumman told AFP.

German study says Holocaust education might fuel anti-Semitism

A new study on anti-Semitism, commissioned by the German Parliament, came to the distressing, widely publicized conclusion that 20% of Germans are “latent” anti-Semites. But buried deep in the report is an assertion that might be even more troubling: Holocaust education is inadvertently fueling German anti-Semitism, making it worse.

The study concluded that “anti-Semitic stereotypes might be conveyed by the one-sided presentations of Jews as victims in [curriculum] plans and… books.’’ It noted that education about the Nazis often imposes “exaggerated moral expectations” on students, who respond with an anti-Semitism that is typified by “guilt denial.”

Honour Based Violence Awareness Network

HBVA is an international digital resource centre working to advance understanding of HBV (honour based violence) and forced marriage through research, documentation and information for professionals who may encounter women, girls and men at risk of these forms of abuse in order to suggest good practise in responding to their needs.

HBVA builds and promotes a network of experts, activists, and NGOs from around the world, by establishing partnerships with international activists and groups working in this area in order to facilitate greater collaboration as well as highlighting the essential work of the NGOs activists and grassroots groups on the ground providing hands on assistance to young women and men at risk, with the knowledge in cases like those of Banaz Mahmod, people have died due to inappropriate and poorly-informed responses to their situations.

Honour-based violence (HBV) and forced marriage (FM) are forms of gender violence, which are often associated with South Asian or Middle Eastern cultures. While they are prevalent within these groups, they may also be found in many other ethnic and identity groups. It is important not to essentialise HBV and FM as an exclusively South Asian or Muslim phenomenon, not just because the effects on minority communities, but also because to do so runs the risk of failing to identify similar risk factors where potential victims belong to communities that are not popularly associated with these forms of violence.

This site intends to advise professionals in how to identify and provide an effective response to these forms of violence, and to provide links to organisations with expertise in providing help to people at risk. HBV and FM are often collective crimes, which cannot automatically be dealt with using standard domestic violence procedures as the level of risk and the preferred method of intervention may be differ.

Women and girls who are at risk of HBV or FM may be under close control and surveillance from their close and extended families. When they reach out for professional help it is important to understand that this may be their only chance. It is therefore essential to be aware of these issues and to have a support strategy in place in advance of any appeals for help, and for all professionals, particularly those in front-line positions, to be aware of risk indicators. It is also necessary to create a culture of sensitivity to allow those at risk to be able to approach an organisation for help, through awareness of the barriers, which limit their ability to seek help.

Individuals at risk of HBV and FM have emotional and psychological needs and there is a need for culturally sensitive support as well as practical protection measures. Those who have been forced to sever ties with their families are extremely isolated and vulnerable, particularly those who have been disallowed the ability to form social networks outside the family. Such survivors of HBV and FM need long-term emotional and social support, which provides them with the ability to rebuild their lives, and any protection plans must allow for this.

To provide the best response to issues of HBV and FM, organisations need to find a balance between recognising the particular nature of these forms of abuse and providing culturally appropriate support to victims without excusing abuse in the name of cultural sensitivity. HBV and FM are indeed common practises in many communities, including Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Middle Eastern communities in the UK: however this does not mean they are accepted by all, or even most, members of these communities, and it certainly does not mean that abuse within the family can be considered acceptable where the victim is a member of a minority. HBV and FM are crimes and human rights abuses first and foremost.

HBVA, founded by Norwegian artist and human rights activist Deeyah and Joanne Payton of Cardiff University, provides guidance, links to resources and studies, and also links to organisations that are available to provide practical assistance and advice on a case-by-case basis. It intends to become a comprehensive source of information and research materials in both written and multimedia formats organized into an easily navigated digital resource.

UN Has List of Top Syrian Leaders for Crimes Probe

The United Nations has a secret list of top Syrian officials who could face investigation for crimes against humanity carried out by Syria’s security forces against government opponents, a panel of U.N. human rights experts said Thursday.

The U.N. experts indicated the list goes as high as President Bashar Assad but declined to say exactly which or how many names are on it.

Thousands of Syrians have died in the Assad regime’s crackdown since March and the panel, citing what it called a reliable source, said at least 500 children are among the dead.

“A reliable body of evidence exists that, consistent with other verified circumstances, provides reasonable grounds to believe that particular individuals, including commanding officers and officials at the highest levels of government, bear responsibility for crimes against humanity and other gross human rights violations,” said the report by the U.N.-appointed Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria.

Israeli history photo of the week: The Mount of Olives

Via Jerusalem Post:

The Library of Congress has recently digitalized a collection of over 10,000 photographs, taken by the “American Colony” in Jerusalem, a group of Christian utopians who lived in Jerusalem between 1881 and the 1940s. The photographers returned to the US, and bequeathed their massive collection to the Library of Congress in 1978. The collection includes Winston Churchill’s visit to Jerusalem, Jewish expulsions from the Old City during Arab riots, and the building of Tel Aviv.

An estimated 150,000 Jews have been buried on the Mount of Olives over the last 3,000 years, opposite the Golden Gate of the city and the Temple Mount. The ancient cemetery was favored by the devout as their burial site in anticipation of the eschatological resurrection of the dead.

Until 1917, Palestine was ruled by the Ottoman Turks; from 1917 until 1948 it was under British control. The Turks often discriminated against the Jews (one governor ordered the burial of dogs in a Jewish cemetery in Jerusalem– “with the other dogs”) and expelled thousands of Jews from Jaffa. The “Tyrant” Hassan Bek used Jewish gravestones to build a mosque between Jaffa and the new Tel Aviv, shown in photos from 1917.

When Jordanian troops captured eastern Jerusalem in 1948, they followed Hassan Bek’s example and used the Jewish gravestones for their construction needs.

After the recapture of eastern Jerusalem in 1967, Jews were shocked at the widespread desecration of the ancient cemetery. Some 38,000 stones and graves had been smashed.

Since then great efforts were made to restore the graves and tombstones.

Today, Jews are once again burying their dead in the Mount of Olives cemetery, although they are shocked to find that vandalism of this important site persists today.

More photos can be viewed at http://www.israeldailypicture.com.

Former First Nation chief to ask Iran for help

Former Roseau River First Nation Chief Terry Nelson

“I am not going to spend my time trying to get the immigrant governments to hear our plight, it is time to ask other nations to investigate and support us directly”.

Zafar Bangash hosting one of the world’s most vile Jew haters

February 24, 2012
York Islamic Center
1380 Stouffville Rd
Richmond Hill, ON
Phone: 905-887-8913

“Gilad Atzmon, International activist, Palestinian supporter, author and Jazz musician is touring North America to promote his controversial new book, The Wandering Who.

Gilad Atzmon will speak about his book and “Between one state or two states solution”, Plus hopefully, he will be playing some Jazz.

Dinner 7 – 8 p.m. – Program starts at 8 p.m.

Tickets $10 per person”

THE PROTOCOLS OF GILAD ATZMON

DERSHOWITZ ON “THE WANDERING WHO”

The stories CBC doesn’t report — and why

“February 3rd, after short labor dispute, heavy equipment manufacturer Caterpillar closed the Electro-Motive plant it operated in London, Ontario, throwing 700 people out of work.

There was justifiable outrage across the country with many in the media laying blame for the job losses at the feet of the Federal government, a government that was branded as insensitive and uncaring.

Listening to some of that you’d think our current rulers were the most heartless, nasty people imaginable. And perhaps they are.

Or maybe it’s something else…

Many years earlier – 1988 to be exact – and almost to the month, a similar decision by an American parent company delivered a similar blow to the Canadian Television industry.

I was working as head writer (the term of the time) on the CBS series “Adderly”. We’d just completed our second 22 episode season and, given our increased ratings and low production costs, were quite confident of being handed a third.

Along with our sister Canadian series, “Night Heat” and “Diamonds”, we’d carved out a profitable late night niche on the Tiffany network. “Crime Time after Prime Time” was delivering a large audience eager to watch something other than talk shows.

But CBS had a better idea.

Their audience research had concluded that “Wheel of Fortune” spinner Pat Sajak had the makings of a crackerjack talk show host. So Pat was handed our time slots and we were history.

The three Canadian shows dropped employed about 200 people full time. “Night Heat” was granted a brief reprieve to shoot enough episodes to reach a more lucrative syndication level. But the cancellations were a body blow to the local industry.

Yet, nobody blamed the government.

No one in the media took anyone to task for not fighting for Canadian artists.

There was nary a mention of the loss to the economy or what might become of we, the most affected.“

NORMAN FINKELSTEIN is more moderate than CIJA/B’nai Brith co-panelist NIF

Even Finkelfreak no longer supports the BDS movement. Not so for the NIF, but that’s all cool with CIJA & B’nai Brith.

Video: About that hungry palestinian dude in an Israeli prison

Click the image.

Fidel Castro is very very worried about world peace

“Yesterday I had the satisfaction of having a pleasant conversation with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. I had not seen him since 2006, more than five years ago, when he visited our country to participate in the 14th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement of Countries in Havana. During the summit, Cuba was elected for the second time as president of the organization for a three-year term.

I had become gravely ill on July 26, 2006, a month and a half prior to the summit, and could barely sit up in bed. Many of the most distinguished leaders who participated in the event were kind enough to visit me. Chavez and Evo visited me several times.

One afternoon four visitors came by whom I will always remember: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan; an old friend, Abdelaziz Buteflika, the president of Algeria; Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran; and the vice minister of Foreign Affairs and current Foreign Minister of China, Yang Jiechi, on behalf of the leader of the Communist Party and the president of China, Hu Jintao.

It was really an important time for me; I was in the midst of intense physiotherapy on my right hand that I had seriously injured when I fell in Santa Clara.

With all four I spoke about some of the difficulties facing the world at the time; problems that have become progressively more complex.

During our meeting yesterday, I noted that the Iranian president was absolutely calm and tranquil, completely unconcerned about the Yankee threats and, fully confident in the capacity of his people to confront any aggression and in the effectiveness of their arms — which, in large part, they produce themselves — to inflict an unpayable price on its aggressors.”

The History of the Talmud

Canadian Arab Federation (of Jew haters) endorses Brian Topp for the leadership of the NDP

“We applaud Brian’s dedication to social democracy and fighting for Canadians across the country. Canada has unfortunately regressed in the areas of social and economic equality and we believe in Brian’s plan to bring the country back to the international forefront in these areas. These issues along with his stance on foreign policy, more directly to the Middle East, have given us the confidence to stand directly behind him on his path to the leadership position of Canada’s official opposition.”

Everything you need to know about CAF.

And now, Dog TV

A new television channel for dogs may give ‘watch dog’ a whole new meaning.

DOG-TV, a 24-hour television channel designed for man’s best friend launched in San Diego this week providing animals with audio and visual entertainment deemed both therapeutic and stimulating.

‘Very often people may say, you know, isn’t that a little bit over board? The bottom line, it’s not over board. Dogs are not living in the woods anymore,’ Warren Eckstein, a pet psychologist and radio show host spoke for Dog-TV.

With flocks of animal scenes – hoofed, feathered and canine – coloured specifically to a dog’s eyesight while coupled with music and sounds adjusted for their ears, the program advises giving pets ‘time to adjust’ to the programs offered.

‘Dog-TV is like a new friend so they may get extra excited or usually relaxed. Don’t worry, they’re just getting used to the channel,’ the channel’s website says.

A great counter-protest – fake Molotovs for a fake checkpoint

EXCELLENT!

It started as members of the Palestine Society formed a mock checkpoint outside of the St. Clements Building. Students were stopped before entering the building and asked by protesters for “I.D.” or “papers.” As the protest continued, certain Jewish students complained of “harassment and intimidation” as access to St. Clements was “blocked.”

Palestine Society members taking part in the protest claimed that while students were asked for their “papers,” only protesters were physically stopped from entering the building.

Niamh Hayes, a member of Palestine Society, said that “we are only trying to recreate the conditions Palestinians have to face on a day-to-day basis.”

Soon after making those comments, a group of counter-protesters ran down Houghton Street screaming “death to Israel” launching water-filled balloons at the protest. After soaking the protesters, they retreated with the Palestine Society members following.

Israel Apartheid Week: a not so hidden agenda

Israel Apartheid Week got off to a rather inauspicious start this year with the release of an interview with Norman Finkelstein, usually the darling of anti-Israel activists, in which he slated the campaign against the Jewish State. Finkelstein referred to the boycott campaign and International Solidarity Movement as a ‘cult’ and accused it of being ‘dishonest’ and described it’s ethos as ‘silliness, childishness and a lot of leftwing posturing’. He further argued that there was no basis in international law for claims against Israel’s right to exist. This blow must rank alongside the departure of another critic of Israel, Judge Richard Goldstone, who famously retracted many of the accusations made against Israel in his UN report into the war in Gaza. Yet despite the loss of such key supporters the organisers of Israel Apartheid Week have carried on regardless, hoping that people will not see this campaign for what it is.

First and foremost what Israel Apartheid week is a lie.

Iran threatening pre-emptive action

Deputy chief of Iranian armed forces says regime ‘will act without waiting for enemies’ actions‘ if national interests are put at risk.

Murder suspect wants Cocoa Puffs in jail

The wheels of justice have been slowed by Cocoa Puffs.

Lawyers on Monday spent more than two hours arguing over whether a woman charged with aggravated murder should have access to coffee, tea, Cocoa Puffs and candy bars while she’s locked up in the Snohomish County Jail.

More than two hours. That’s not a typo. And they’re still not done arguing over snacks.

Mustached Americans seek tax break for grooming products

As Congress pays lip service to Americans seeking tax reforms, an underrepresented constituency has a hairy proposition — getting lawmakers to approve a $250 tax refund for mustached Americans.

Members of the American Mustache Institute traipsed up to Capitol Hill Monday — while lawmakers were out of town for President’s Day — to seek a tax break for men with facial hair, who (AMI-authored studies show) are 38 percent better-looking than the rest of America.

But demonstrating that the organization is not biased, AMI Chairman Aaron Perlut, who claims to personally spend “somewhere between $1,000 to $1,500” annually on grooming products, said anyone with hair care costs would be eligible for the $250 annual tax refund.

“We have to be fair — not everybody likes chocolate ice cream and not everybody wants to be 38 percent better-looking,” Perlut told FoxNews.com.

Declaring mustached Americans not only more attractive and sexually dynamic (institute studies show), Perlut said follicly enhanced Americans are strong contributors to the economy — since trimmers, wax and other accoutrements are costly luxuries — as well as protectors of the environment — because not shaving saves water.

READ THE REST

Wife of Assassinated Iranian Scientist: Annihilation of Israel “Mostafa’s Ultimate Goal”

“The wife of Martyr Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan Behdast, who was assassinated by Mossad agents in Tehran in January, reiterated on Tuesday that her husband sought the annihilation of the Zionist regime wholeheartedly.”

Zionists sabotaging Egyptian chickens

Also chocolate, coffee, biscuits and yoghurt.

Douche goblin tells David Cameron oil sands threaten health of the planet

“Oil from the tar sands of Alberta is the dirtiest in the world“.

Egyptians demand expulsion of Syrian ambassador

“We Salafis believe in jihad in the name of God, because what’s going on over there is a fierce attack by the Alawites on the Sunnis so the people of Syria must be armed”.

Protesters move within sight of Assad’s palace

Hundreds of anti-government protesters braved gunfire from Syrian soldiers and a snowstorm to march through a middle-class neighbourhood in Damascus in the biggest such demonstration seen close to the heart of the capital since the uprising started 11 months ago.

The suburb of Mezze skirts the hill on which the presidential palace sits, and on Saturday, as row upon row of demonstrators marched through the streets, many wished that the President, Bashar al-Assad, could hear them.

”I hope President Assad opens the window of his office and sees how Damascenes are shouting against him and his regime”.

 

Jihad from jail: Islamic terrorists using network website MuslimPrisoner.com to preach hatred from behind bars

Islamic terrorists are using the internet to spread their hatred from behind bars.

Dozens of letters written by some of the world’s most dangerous extremists – including those locked up for murderous plots in Britain – have been published on MuslimPrisoners.com

The hate-filled messages celebrate murder of innocent people and urge fresh atrocities against the West.

Thousands of Palestinians IN ISRAEL rally against Assad

Why not? They’re living in a democracy that allows free expression for everyone. If they tried that in Gaza………