Seattle, Washington (CNN) — A Seattle cartoonist who drew a cartoon about the Prophet Mohammed has been warned by the FBI about death threats made against her by a radical cleric with ties to al Qaeda, an FBI agent said Tuesday.
“She should be taken as a prime target of assassination,” terror suspect Anwar al-Awlaki purportedly wrote about cartoonist Molly Norris in an English-language magazine called Inspire that claimed to be a publication of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
“This campaign is not a practice of freedom of speech, but is a nationwide mass movement of Americans” who are “going out of their way to offend Muslims worldwide,” the article signed by al-Awlaki continued. Al-Awlaki is himself being sought in Yemen for his alleged role as a planner of the failed bombing of a Detroit-bound passenger plane on Christmas Day last year.
Norris has been advised to take precautions to ensure her safety, said FBI Special Agent Marty Prewett.
“The FBI is always reviewing and assessing information it receives,” Prewett said. “Whenever the FBI comes into possession of information of a threatening nature to an individual, we let that person know so they can take appropriate security measures. That is the case here.”
Prewitt declined to comment on where Norris is and whether she is receiving protection from law enforcement. Al-Awlaki also threatened eight other cartoonists, journalists and writers from Britain, Sweden and Holland.
Norris kicked off a controversy in April with a cartoon published online about an imaginary group called “Citizens Against Citizens Against Humor” that proposed an “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day” on May 20.
Norris said in media interviews at the time that she was inspired by the furor created from an episode of the show “South Park” that depicted the Propeht Mohammed dressed in a bear suit.
Comedy Central, which airs “South Park,” aired an edited version of the episode after the show’s creators received threats.
Norris’ cartoon inspired a campaign to create pictures of the Islamic prophet across the internet with over 100,000 people signing up on a Facebook page. A Pakistani court ordered access to Facebook there cut off for two weeks. Competing sites blasted the campaign also drew tens of thousands of followers.
Many Muslims find drawings and other depitcions of the Prophet Mohammed to be deeply offensive.
Norris said the consequences of the drawing were unintended. “I wasn’t savvy,” the cartoonist said in an interview last month with City Arts Magazine, where many of her cartoons were published. “I didn’t mean for my satirical poster to be taken seriously. It became kind of an excuse for people to hate or be mean-spirited. I’m not-mean spirited,” Norris said.
An editor at City Arts said neither the magazine nor Norris had any comment on the death threats against her.
Adam Raisman, a senior analyst for the Site Intelligence Group, which monitors Islamic terror groups online communications, said al-Awlaki’s threats constituted a continued effort to reach a wider audience and should not be taken lightly.
“The prophet is the pinnacle of Jihad [for al-Awlaki and his followers],” he said. “It is better to support the prophet by attacking those who slander him than it is to travel to land of Jihad like Iraq or Afghanistan.”
In February an ax-wielding man broke into the home of Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard who has been targeted by extremists for his drawing of Mohammed. He and his grandaughter hid in a fortified “panic room” during the attack.
By Patrick Oppmann
Monday, July 19, 2010
Syria Bans Face-Covering Veils in Universities
Damascus — Fearing an ever-secular Syria might turn to radical Islam, authorities has quietly banned the niqab, a face-covering veil worn by some Muslim women, in public universities — a move welcomed by most Syrians.
The government, which has always kept a tight lid on Islamic movements, has also possibly forced 1,200 women teachers wearing burqa (the head-to-toe Muslim veil) out of their jobs, or reassigned them to government offices where they would not come into contact with students.
“Minister of Higher Education Ghyath Barakat has given his directives that women wearing niqab would not be allowed to enter the Syrian universities,” one informed source told CBS News.
“The Minister has totally rejected this phenomena which contradicts with the academic values and traditional morals and ethics of the Syrian society,” the source said, on condition his name would not be used.
“We will not leave our daughters a prey for extremist thoughts. The Syrians have always shown through history their awareness, understanding and the ability for confronting those bad habits,” the source quoted Barakat, the Syrian Minister, as telling his top assistants.
The ban, which was not made public in state-run media, does not affect the hijab, or headscarf, which is favored by the vast majority of veiled Syrian women.
The pan-Arab Ba’ath party, which has ruled Syria since 1963, crushed an extremist movement in the 1980s after it launched a string of deadly attacks across the country.
Only about 20% of Syrian women wore hijab in the 1980s; in the 1960s, the headscarf was even rarer.
Today the percentage of students wearing it is much higher, a phenomenon common in much of the Islamic world.
It is not expected that the orders have a chance of becoming law in Syria, though the country is now experiencing a dramatic religious resurgence, according to many analysts.
A new Islamic revivalism is evident among the hitherto moderates, a change clearly fueled by anger over pictures of the occupation of Iraq and violence in the Palestinian territories, beamed into peoples’ homes every day.
Islam is a faith of many faces, from the Wahhabis to the Sufis, from Shiites to Sunnis. There are also secular Muslims, of whom there are many in Syria.
The majority of Syrians, of all different age groups, expressed support for getting niqabs and burqas not only out of schools and universities but out of all public places as well.
“Hijabs and niqabs have been a symbol of oppression and religious extremism over the past hundreds of years. They have been a tool used by fundamentalist men to repress women,” said Ahmed, a 32-year-old engineer.
“It’s unpleasant when you have to conduct a conversation with a woman [when] you can’t see her face. You don’t know whether she is smiling or sad, happy or angry . . . It is kind of scary, really,” he adds.
When similar bans were introduced in Europe, they were widely criticized in the Middle East as discriminatory against Muslim immigrants. But many women’s rights organizations in the region — and in Syria specifically — are staffed by secular activists who also share some of the government’s fears of radicalization.
“I would like to thank the government for such a brave action. This ban should be applied in all public places. Sometimes, in certain neighborhoods, I feel as if I am walking in Tora Bora, not Damascus,” comments Shadi Karim, a travel agent in his mid-40s.
One passer-by in the fancy Abu Roumaneh street said the burqa to him was like a “walking black ghost,” while another simply said it had nothing to do with real Islam.
But Mohammed Saad was among those few who said he was against the government’s ban, although he pointed out that his sisters do not wear either hijab or the burqa.
“I come from a secular family where you cannot see hijab in our gatherings but, I think, the ban is wrong as it touches personal freedom and certain way of expression,” he said while entering the 5-star Four Seasons Hotel, hand-in-hand with his blond wife.
By George Baghdadi
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Dutch lawmaker forms anti-Islam group
Written by AP News
15 July 2010
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Maverick Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders says he is launching an international "freedom alliance" to spread his anti-Islam message across the West.
He told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday he will launch the international movement late this year, initially in five countries: the United States, Canada, Britain, France and Germany.
Geert Wilders told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday he will launch the movement late this year, initially in five countries: the U.S., Canada, Britain, France and Germany.
"The message, 'stop Islam, defend freedom,' is a message that's not only important for the Netherlands but for the whole free Western world," Wilders said at the Dutch parliament.
Among the group's aims will be outlawing immigration from Islamic countries to the West and a ban on Islamic Sharia law. Starting as a grass-roots movement, he hopes it eventually will produce its own lawmakers or influence other legislators.
Ayhan Tonca, a prominent spokesman for Dutch Muslims, said he feared Wilders message would fall on fertile ground in much of Europe, where anti-Islam sentiment has been swelling for years.
"So long as things are going badly with the economy, a lot of people always need a scapegoat," Tonca said. "At the moment, that is the Muslims in Western Europe."
Tonca called on "well meaning people in Europe to oppose this."
Known for his bleached-blond mop of hair, Wilders is a shrewd politician who has won awards in the Netherlands for his debating skills and regularly stands up for gay and women's rights.
But he rose to local and then international prominence with his firebrand anti-Islam rhetoric that has led to him being charged under Dutch anti-hate speech laws and banned from visiting Britain — until a court there ordered that he be allowed into the country.
He said he hopes to position the alliance between traditional conservative parties and far-right wing groups, saying that in Britain there is "an enormous gap" between the ruling Conservative Party and the far-right British National Party.
"The BNP is a party that, whatever you think of it, it's not my party — I think it's a racist party," Wilders said.
Wilders, who calls Islam a "fascist" religion, has seen his support in the Netherlands soar in recent years, even while he has been subjected to round-the-clock protection because of death threats.
His Freedom Party won the biggest gains in a national election last month, coming third with 24 seats in the 150-seat Parliament, up from the nine before the election. However, mainstream parties will not form a coalition with Wilders, leaving him on the margins of Dutch politics for the next parliamentary term.
Wilders is due to stand trial in October on hate speech charges stemming from his short Internet film "Fitna," which denounced the Quran as a a fascist book that inspires terrorism.
The film aroused anti-Dutch protests around the Muslim world, and he was banned for several months from entering Britain. But he is unrepentant and said he now wants to take his message outside the Netherlands.
"The fight for freedom and (against) Islamization as I see it is a worldwide phenomenon and problem to be solved," he said.
Wilders declined to name any of the other founders of the organization he is calling the Geert Wilders International Freedom Alliance.
He said he would hold speeches in the five countries where the alliance will first launch in coming months to drum up support.
Wilders has been criticized in the Netherlands for running his party as a one-man show that is shrouded in secrecy because he holds all the reins.
A special report on Egypt: Saving faith
Written by Economist
16 July 2010
Islam seems to be fading as a revolutionary force
Who needs hairdressers?
EDWARD LANE, an English orientalist, published a classic account of Egyptian society in the 1830s. Impressed with much else, he had this to say about religion in Egypt: “It is considered the highest honour among the Muslims to be religious; but the desire to appear so leads many into hypocrisy and pharisaical ostentation.”
The same observation might be made today. A generation ago it was rare to hear the Koran recited, except on formal occasions such as funerals or during the fasting month of Ramadan. Nowadays the word of God is a constant companion, wafting from taxi cabs and buses, barber’s shops and fast-food outlets, dental clinics and supermarkets.
The call to prayer not only sounds five times daily from minarets but all the time from everywhere: millions of Egyptians have downloaded it as a ringtone for their mobile phones. Step into many shops at noon and you will be told to return after prayers. Call in to the main control room of Egyptian State Railways and you may find the chief operator similarly disengaged, as one panicked signalman did last year when a train stalled on the tracks. He was unable to prevent the next train from crashing into the first, killing 18 people and prompting the resignation of Egypt’s transport minister.
Tune to one of 400 Arabic-language channels carried by Nilesat, a satellite owned by the Egyptian government, and the chances are you will come across a bearded sheikh, such as one who recently berated youths for knowing the names of more football players than of the prophet Muhammad’s companions. Millions of Egyptians thrilled by the World Cup clearly ignore such advice. But plenty observe it in spirit: a sample of 10-29-year-olds questioned in a national survey claimed they spent an average of 40 minutes on religious devotions every day. That makes 243 hours a year, or more than a full year in an average lifetime. And that leaves out other devotions, such as fasting in Ramadan, or the pilgrimages to Mecca which draw nearly 700,000 Egyptians a year.
What goes for Islam also goes for the Coptic Orthodox church, whose 7m or so Egyptian adherents make up the largest Christian community in the Middle East. Its services are packed and the number of novices in dozens of Coptic monasteries is at record levels. Well-funded by rich patrons, the Coptic church remains extremely conservative. Pope Shenouda III, its patriarch since 1971, makes the Catholic one look like Dr Phil, a TV psychologist. Not content to ban divorce, his church will not condone a second marriage for anyone who might actually have managed to get out of the first one.
Turning to higher things
The current generation of Egyptians is living through a full-scale religious revival. Scholars ascribe the trend to many causes. Some say the shock of defeat in the 1967 war prompted a return to older traditions. Others speculate that rapid population growth and rural migration overwhelmed the secular-minded urban elite of the 1960s. Yet others point to the return of Egyptian workers from rich Arab Gulf countries, having acquired their conservative mores. And there is the influence of world events, with the never-ending plight of the Palestinians, plus Western incursions into other Muslim lands, serving to reinforce attachment to a faith that is seen as under threat.
Some say that Egypt’s revived religiosity reflects not a return to old ways but a move to more modern ones. If more Egyptians read the Koran, perhaps it is because more are literate. Bible-reading and religious study similarly swept Europe when literacy first spread. If more Egyptian women don the veil, it is for temporal reasons as much as religious ones. Unlike their grandmothers, they travel on public transport to work or school. Headscarves keep hair clean, declare seriousness and modesty to pestering men and are a cheap way to make oneself look presentable.
It is only natural that religiosity should extend to politics, particularly given Islamic traditions that, in the absence of a Muslim “church”, see defence of the faith as a duty of the state. The Muslim Brotherhood has promoted this notion since its founding in 1928. Under the severe repression of the Nasser years the movement splintered, fostering radical offshoots that helped seed the global jihadism of al-Qaeda. Such developments were responsible for the assassination of Nasser’s successor, Anwar Sadat, in 1981, and for later terrorist attacks against tourists.
Brotherly influence
These, mercifully, have grown much rarer in Egypt in recent years. Mass arrests in the 1990s put thousands of extremists in jail, chased others offshore and convinced most Egyptian jihadist leaders to renounce violence. The mainstream Brotherhood has long since done so, espousing a gradual Islamisation of society and political pluralism, albeit within a hazily defined Islamic framework. It has never come close to power in Egypt, but exerts subtle influence through social work and has been a strong force in trade unions.
The Egyptian state, ostensibly secular, pretends to be a bulwark against the Brotherhood’s ambitions. It earns fat revenues from alcohol taxes and hotel casinos. Yet in other ways the government outbids the Brotherhood in championing Sunni orthodoxy. President Sadat amended the constitution to enshrine Islamic sharia as the “principal source” of legislation, which leaves matters suitably vague. Police hound Shias, Ahmadis and other “deviant” Muslim sects.
The central government vets the qualifications and pays the salaries of most of the preachers in the country’s 75,000 mosques. Egypt’s president appoints the head of al-Azhar, Cairo’s 1,000 year-old seat of Islamic learning, an institution that includes Egypt’s largest university, with 335,000 students, as well as a network of schools with nearly 2m more. By law, al-Azhar has the right to censor books that touch on religion. It recently launched Azhari TV, a satellite channel promoting centrist, moderate Islam in a bid to stop the encroachment of Saudi-inspired fundamentalism.
The state has often seemed to prefer tokenism to real equality for Coptic Christians, who serve at many levels of government but remain starkly under-represented in the security establishment. The police have proven peculiarly inept at stemming sporadic but recurrent bouts of sectarian strife. Typically, such episodes end with burned churches, mass arrests and a government-imposed “reconciliation” that leaves Muslim antagonists unpunished. Such incidents often have their roots in petty local squabbles, but their tendency to take nasty sectarian turns has left Copts feeling vulnerable, making them cling even more tightly to their church.
Some observers detect signs that the wave of religiosity which started in the 1970s may have crested. They note, for instance, that fashions in veils have switched from frumpy wimples in sombre shades to colourful headgear, often combined with make-up and tight jeans. Less plain to the eye is a shift in ideological fashions, away from activist and public kinds of Islamism to quieter and more private pursuits of faith. The symbols of commitment among today’s radical youth are no longer guns and beards but pious conduct and knowledge of scripture. The religious wave has certainly not passed and may still carry a lot in its wake. But in Egypt, at least, it no longer looks like a revolutionary force.
In this special report
•The long wait
•America's lieutenant
•The best man always wins
•A favoured spot
•Long-sighted
•A slow learning curve
•No paradise
•Saving faith
•After Mubarak
Trial of Christian Framed in Sexual Assault Case Implies 'Fowl Play' by the Egyptian State Security
Written by Mary Abdelmassih
17 July 2010
The high profile criminal trial of Christian Copt poultry vendor Girgis Baroumi, accused of allegedly having sexually assaulted a Muslim minor, has reconvened on July 12, 2010, under a new judicial body and another district criminal court in Qena. The defendant's legal team had applied in April 2010, to change the previous court due to being prevented from meeting with their client, attending closed sessions or cross-examining witnesses.
The court session which lasted for 9 hours without break, was under heavy security, whereby the media were excluded not only from attending court, but being in town altogether. Although it was a 'closed' court session, one Egyptian newspaper, Al-Destour, was able to get hold and publish a summary of the court session's protocol and extracts of witnesses accounts.
The defense team were able for the first time since taking over his defense six months ago to meet with Baroumi in a room in the Court's premises, under heavy security. .
"The session was marked by surprises, which under normal circumstances, should affect the outcome of the trial," defense team member Dr. Ihab Ramzy told Coptic activist Wagih Yacoub in an aired audio interview.
The defendant Girgis Baroumi denied in court all charges against him.
" According to Baroumi he is completely unable to have sex with any woman," said Dr. Ramzy. " He has a congenital male sexual organ abnormality, and on that basis he was was rejected for military service." The court allowed the defense team to apply to the Recruitment Department in Qena to get
the reasons for Baroumi's exemption from the military service.
Baroumi said that he was not at the location where the incident is said to have taken place; instead he was selling poultry at the time somewhere else; he has witnesses to verify his claim. However, his defense doubt whether any of those named by him will come forward as witness, because of fear of getting involved in such a trial.
When Girgis was arrested by the alleged victim's family at the train crossing as he was on his way home at the end of the day, the girl's mother got hold of him and told the crowds that he stole £1000 from her and did not mention the alleged rape, reported Freecopts advocacy.
"Girgis said he had never seen the alleged rape victim, 12-year-old Yusra, which the Security authorities claimed was raped by him. before seeing her during prosecution and at Court," said defense team member George Sobhi to Al-Destour newspaper.
Defense lawyers were able for the first time to cross-examine witnesses among whom was Yusra, her parents, police officer Colonel Ahmed Hegazy who issued the police report and the forensic doctor who examined Yusra after the alleged rape incident.
"Today's court session showed incredible 'foul play'. The investigating police officer, Colonel Ahmed Hegazy, was told by witnesses something and he wrote something else in the report, besides, he never took the appropriate legal procedures," said Dr. Ramzy. He added that when the mother reported her daughter's alleged rape, he never issued a police report. "People arrested and brought the accused, tied and dragged into the police station, while the investigating officer never asked them why or from where did you get him?" he said.
After cross-examining him, Dr. Ramzy accused the investigating officer of fraud and appeal against the police report. "Although he assured that he wrote the police report himself, he never did. I accused him of fraud," he explained.
According to Dr. Ramzy there were extreme conflicting reports from witnesses."Cross-examining the witnesses threw light on many new things, which made Baroumi's position much better."
Amid a bout of severe sobbing, the Court ordered the guard to take Baroumi out of the deliberation room.
The trial was adjourned until September 16, 2010, as the defense wanted to add as evidence the clothes worn by the Yusra at the time of the incident, as well as obtaining the military service exemption certificate.
On November 18, 2009, the 21-year-old Girgis Baroumi, a poultry vendor from Kom al-Ahmar village, near Farshout, was accused by the 12-year-old Muslim girl Yusra Abdelwahab from the neighboring village of al-Shukeifi , of sexually assaulting her. Claims of the assault led to several days of unrest in the area caused by hundreds of Muslim protesters looting and burning Christian property. (Freecopts Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYFsW-uABJg&feature=related
Activists have accused the Egyptian government of trying to make a scapegoat out of Baroumi to justify the violations against the Copts in Egypt, whether in Farshout or Nag Hammadi. The Egyptian Parliament Speaker falsified facts about this case. He told BBC-Arabic on January 31, 2010, that Yousra was dead as a result of being raped, when she was alive.
"If the police officer falsified the police report, leading to the first attack against the Copts in Farshout in November 2009, so how can Christians trust the credibility of the State Security, which sponsors mobsters and terrorists?" said activist Wagih Yacoub. "We call on the punishment of those responsible of complicity in the attacks against the Copts, as well as the dismissal of Interior Minister, in whose time we saw the worst attacks against Christians as well as their eviction from their villages and homes."
Mary Abdelmassih
Please sign the following petition and send it to ACLJ
Dear friends:
Please sign the following petition and send it to ACLJ, and kindly forward this web page to your contacts and ask them to sign it also. We have to do our share to stop the building of an Islamic "Terrorist" mosque near ground zero.
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NO Mosque at Ground Zero
Ground Zero. The site of the 9/11 Islamic terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center in New York. Americans know — it is sacred ground. But now, there's a real push to build an Islamic mosque at this very site — headed by Imam Rauf, who reportedly has a troubling record of support for causes tied to terrorism ... including the recent Gaza-bound flotilla that carried terrorists to attack Israel. In fact, Imam Rauf has even said that the ''United States' policies were an accessory'' to 9/11.
So the ACLJ is fighting back: We're serving as lead counsel in a critical case — representing families of those who lost loved ones in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. We need your help.
Stand with the ACLJ and send a message to New York — NO Mosque at Ground Zero. Add your name below to the Committee to STOP the Ground Zero Mosque — and join with us in demanding that New York City reject this troubling proposal.
COMMITTEE TO STOP
THE GROUND ZERO MOSQUE
We are deeply disturbed by plans to build an Islamic mosque at Ground Zero — the sacred site where Islamic terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center and claimed the lives of thousands of innocent Americans.
Even more troubling is that this mosque is financially backed by an investor with reported ties to terrorism — reports indicate that Imam Rauf was one of the key financiers of the Gaza-bound flotilla that recently carried terrorists determined to attack Israel!
As radical Islam continues its bold and deadly march to erase freedom from the face of the earth — we must determine who we will honor: America’s fallen 9/11 victims or the terrorists who attacked them?
We stand with the ACLJ in strong opposition to this troubling proposal: Ground Zero is NOT the place to build a mosque. It is time to reject this wrong-headed move once and for all, in honor of America’s 9/11 heroes.
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Loyalty to Islam: No Borders
Voice of the Copts Website
The U.S constitution has been in existence for more than two hundred years and is based upon the conviction that a civilized nation is built on freedom and human rights. The first amendment of the United State's Constitution states,
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Accordingly, Americans enjoy the freedom to live by any faith and speak freely about their beliefs. Anyone on American soil for even a few hours knows the value of our first amendment rights. History shows that European immigrants longing for a better life came to America to find prosperity in a democratic land as do the Mexicans coming across our borders today. They kept their identity and celebrated their heritage yet swore allegiance to America as they strove to assimilate the culture and values -- enjoying freedom, believing in it, and going to war to preserve it. Today's second and third generation Americans, hearing the personal stories of parents and grandparents who left their homeland to start a new life in America, take for granted that all those now coming to our country from foreign lands are motivated by the same dream. It would be safe to say the majority of Americans assume this about our new Arab-Muslim neighbors. However, this assumption deserves a closer look.
From the aftermath of WWII until now, America's appetite for oil and high demand for new consumer markets made a perfect partner to the oil-rich, goods-deprived countries of the Middle East, and money began to flow into corporate entities and bankroll Islamic royal families. With unprecedented purchase power, wealth in the hands of Islamic loyalists is now more than ever being used to make inroads into American culture. This money can be seen in the purchase of real estate, the construction of mosques which include Madrasah(Islamic school), endowments of America's universities, and the financing of candidates running for office.
No time in the history of America has power, influence and money been a key component of immigration of a particular group as we see it today. Likewise, no other time in American history have we witnessed the building of an infrastructure on American soil by foreigners with an agenda to further their own separate, incompatible ideology and legal system. Loyalty to Islam has no borders and takes precedent over allegiance to the flag of any nation, including America. Muslim-Americans serving in the U.S. military or working for our government naturally experience this conflict.
In order to identify the pattern of Islamic immigration and its consequences it is necessary that we look into the histories of other countries where we see Islamic religious doctrine playing out in societal changes to suit Islamic doctrine within the occupied country. Arab-Muslims seek to dominate by aiming to erase the identity and culture of the conquered population and replacing it with a desert culture dating back 1,400 years. The history of Egypt, before and after the Arab occupation, is an excellent model of the Arab path and methods.
Arab-Muslims never integrate into a new society to become a part of it because their allegiance is first to Islam.Recently a member of the Egyptian Parliament who was also a member of the Muslim Brotherhood stated he would not have a problem if a Pakistani-Muslim ruled his country, but he would never allow an Egyptian Copt to have the same right. Copts livingin Egypt are the descendents of the ancient Egyptians and would logically have this right; however, his conviction was based on what all Muslimsare taught, to put Islam first before duty to country. Islamic doctrine states that no kafier (Jew or Christian) can lead or command a Muslim believer.
In Egypt, when Islam grew to become the majority religion, freedom of religion, as we know it in the Western world, took on a completely different meaning. The Omranyah conditions, mandates and restrictions placed upon Egyptian Coptic Christians by the invading Arab-Muslims, were issued at the time of the Arab takeover of Egypt. As it illustrates the supremacy of Islam and the suppression of a minority faith at that time it continues to form the basis for the oppression of the Christian population by the current Mubarak regime as follows:
Christians are not permitted to build a Monastery, Church, or monk's cell, and not allowed to renovate what is damaged.
· Christians may not forbid any Muslims to stay overnight in their church for three nights, serving them food.
· It is imperative that Christians respect Muslims and not forbid any of their relatives to convert to Islam.
· It is imperative that Christians accommodate Muslims, leaving them their seats when Muslims need to sit.
· It is imperative that Christians not dress similar to the dress of Muslims.
· Christians are not permitted to ride horses, carry swords or sell liquor.
· Christians have to cut their hair in front and buckle their belts around their waist.
· It is imperative that Christians conceal their crosses and book.
· Christian dead may not be buried next to a Muslim cemetery. Christians cannot cry over their dead.
· It is imperative that Christians keep low voices in their churches, the same for their musical instruments.
· Muslims can do whatever they like to any Christian because they are slaves and without free will.
Our dilemma lies in the fact that the American people, as well as others in the West, are simply unable to grasp the Arab-Muslim mentality because to understand it we must be outside our Western mind-set. By reaching beyond our borders and focusing on both the accounts of the oppressed non-Muslims within Arab countries and parallel examples around the world, we may begin to understand the goals, motives and thinking of this particular culture.
Muslims come to the U.S. to join their colleagues and families, open mosques and worship freely. In addition, their accompanying religious legal system (Shariah) rules every aspect of a Muslim lifestyle and forms the mind-set and practice of Muslim culture. This is strikingly different from the Christian way of thinking. In Matthew 22:21, Jesus confirms the concept of separation of church and state by saying, "Give to Cesar what is Cesar's, and to God what is God's." There is no similar concept in Islam because Mohammad was both the political and religious leader.
Arab-Muslims living in America experience true freedom of religion because they are allowed to worship freely as a minority religion. In most cases, the countries they have left behind do not have this practice, but have religious-run governments with no tolerance for other faiths. Arab-Muslims do not immigrate to America to find religious freedom because they are able to practice without hindrance in their homelands.
It does seem likely that practitioners of Islam here in America are not subscribers to the Bill of Rights for the long term, but instead choose the precepts of Islam and the verses which dictate their actions. As sweet words are spoken, the sword is drawn and ready, as in this quote translated into English from one of the basic Islamic reference books: Sahih al-Bukhari 6924-Allah's Messenger said, "I have been ordered to kill the people till they say, 'there is no other god but but Allah'('La ilaha illallah'), and whoever said La ilaha illahllah, Allah will save his property and his life from me."
The United States is indeed at a crossroads, and it is time to put aside our political differences in order to defend our liberties. Our freedom is a way of life and a treasure which we are obligated to protect, and we must acknowledge that we are accepting those into our country who now constitute a serious threat to our values. Islamic immigration with the implementation of Shariah law is not assimilation into the U.S. of America but rather a distinctly different intention. We must not be silent on this issue but find the courage to speak out to defend our precious freedom here on American soil.
About Us
Voice of the Copts Website is an independent electronic news site which belongs to the Organization known under the same name.
Our goal is to report news of discrimination and oppression of religious minorities in every corner of our planet. A special attention will be given to those taking place in countries ruled by the Arabs, as well as providing an in-depth explanation of their mentality, behaviour and their way of living.
Since we are Copts, events of interest to the Copts concerning issues in their homeland, Egypt, will be covered, Our website would be an open window on the Coptic culture, as well as a comprehensive source of information on the Copts' suffering in their own land.
Voice of the Copts
A non profit human rights organization working to free the pressed and persecuted Coptic Christians of Egypt.
Voice of the Copts is a 501 (c) (3).
Position Statement / VOTC Local Chapter Membership
Copts of Egypt have been suffering for more than 1,430 years of oppression, discrimination and persecution from the time of Arab invaders until now.
The Arabs' ultimate goal and express purpose is to conquer the whole world and convert its population to their faith (Islam).
While we at Voice of the Copts respect each and every faith, we do not accept aggression and violence under any circumstance. Copts (Christians) of Egypt, representing more than 20% of Egypt's population (80 million), encounter persecution under the current Egyptian regime lead by Hosni Mubarak, a dictator who is following in the footsteps of his predecessors.
According to the 2009 U.S. Report on Religious Freedom, the Egyptian government has been placed on the Watch List for tolerating Islamist violence of Coptic citizens. The participation of the Egyptian regime in this violence is evidenced by its law enforcement's support of Arab attacks on Copts and their homes, businesses, churches and monasteries. They have allowed the kidnapping and raping of Coptic girls and women as a means of forcing them to embrace Islam.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom 2009 states,
"The government has not taken sufficient steps to halt the repression of and discrimination against religious believers." In all cases the regime punished the attacked instead of the attackers.
The Commission goes on to state, "Christians face official and societal discrimination.... and the Egyptian government generally does not recognize conversions of Muslims to other religions."
Our mission is to speak for the oppressed Copts and all others who are persecuted for their faith. While the Coptic Christians suffer in Egypt in the same way that Christians and non-Muslims do in all countries with a Muslim or Arab majority, Westerners ignore this fact and how it may relate.
Voice of the Copts therefore is compelled to make the argument that Islam is the common thread linking the daily news stories we present from around the world (www.voiceofthecopts.org in Italian www.lavocedeicopti.org) and that a pattern and intention is apparent in their actions to target and submit the non-Muslim population to Shariah in the nations where their presence is a stronghold. In this way, we wish to bring the West a concise picture of what the future holds if the free world continues to be complacent about this matter.
Our goal will always be to create awareness and spread the truth about those who neglect to uphold the freedoms of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as exhibited currently in the forces against Christianity in Egypt today. In doing so, our particular emphasis is on the concept of political correctness as a device which is relied upon by those who hate the rights and freedoms of the West and will therefore cause the eroding of our freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
In the beginning, Voice of the Copts solely targeted the media and political leaders around the world. Now with the local chapter initiative, VOTC reaches out to the grassroots in an effort to build a worldwide coalition to speak out for freedom and fight to preserve it for the future of our children and grandchildren.
Our human rights organization does not belong to any political party nor do we operate as an extension of any organized religion. We are fighting for freedom. Our language is straightforward and does not adhere to political correctness.
In our struggle to empower our Copts in their homeland, we believe this will happen when they attain absolute full rights and equalityunder fair law with respect to the Egyptian secular constitution -- in existence before the coup of 1952 -- along with standard international conventions as per human rights conformity.
We are looking to extend our organization to be present in each state and in every town and city around the world. Our goal is to serve the following purposes:
- To promote political awareness.
- To increase assistance to those in need.
- To increase connections with local political leaders, administrative personnel, local media and citizens.
- To emphasize equality for women and defend the human rights of women.
- To promote better understanding of the Middle East dilemma in order to avoid the same in our homelands.
If you agree with our goals, please become a VOTC member. We encourage you to join us. We need you! We cannot achieve our goals without you.
Become a leader of a VOTC local chapter and help the oppressed, discriminated and persecuted of Egypt and around the world.
Sign up for a membership today and support our cause by clicking on the membership link at: http://voiceofthecopts.org/en/membership_application.html
The U.S constitution has been in existence for more than two hundred years and is based upon the conviction that a civilized nation is built on freedom and human rights. The first amendment of the United State's Constitution states,
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Accordingly, Americans enjoy the freedom to live by any faith and speak freely about their beliefs. Anyone on American soil for even a few hours knows the value of our first amendment rights. History shows that European immigrants longing for a better life came to America to find prosperity in a democratic land as do the Mexicans coming across our borders today. They kept their identity and celebrated their heritage yet swore allegiance to America as they strove to assimilate the culture and values -- enjoying freedom, believing in it, and going to war to preserve it. Today's second and third generation Americans, hearing the personal stories of parents and grandparents who left their homeland to start a new life in America, take for granted that all those now coming to our country from foreign lands are motivated by the same dream. It would be safe to say the majority of Americans assume this about our new Arab-Muslim neighbors. However, this assumption deserves a closer look.
From the aftermath of WWII until now, America's appetite for oil and high demand for new consumer markets made a perfect partner to the oil-rich, goods-deprived countries of the Middle East, and money began to flow into corporate entities and bankroll Islamic royal families. With unprecedented purchase power, wealth in the hands of Islamic loyalists is now more than ever being used to make inroads into American culture. This money can be seen in the purchase of real estate, the construction of mosques which include Madrasah(Islamic school), endowments of America's universities, and the financing of candidates running for office.
No time in the history of America has power, influence and money been a key component of immigration of a particular group as we see it today. Likewise, no other time in American history have we witnessed the building of an infrastructure on American soil by foreigners with an agenda to further their own separate, incompatible ideology and legal system. Loyalty to Islam has no borders and takes precedent over allegiance to the flag of any nation, including America. Muslim-Americans serving in the U.S. military or working for our government naturally experience this conflict.
In order to identify the pattern of Islamic immigration and its consequences it is necessary that we look into the histories of other countries where we see Islamic religious doctrine playing out in societal changes to suit Islamic doctrine within the occupied country. Arab-Muslims seek to dominate by aiming to erase the identity and culture of the conquered population and replacing it with a desert culture dating back 1,400 years. The history of Egypt, before and after the Arab occupation, is an excellent model of the Arab path and methods.
Arab-Muslims never integrate into a new society to become a part of it because their allegiance is first to Islam.Recently a member of the Egyptian Parliament who was also a member of the Muslim Brotherhood stated he would not have a problem if a Pakistani-Muslim ruled his country, but he would never allow an Egyptian Copt to have the same right. Copts livingin Egypt are the descendents of the ancient Egyptians and would logically have this right; however, his conviction was based on what all Muslimsare taught, to put Islam first before duty to country. Islamic doctrine states that no kafier (Jew or Christian) can lead or command a Muslim believer.
In Egypt, when Islam grew to become the majority religion, freedom of religion, as we know it in the Western world, took on a completely different meaning. The Omranyah conditions, mandates and restrictions placed upon Egyptian Coptic Christians by the invading Arab-Muslims, were issued at the time of the Arab takeover of Egypt. As it illustrates the supremacy of Islam and the suppression of a minority faith at that time it continues to form the basis for the oppression of the Christian population by the current Mubarak regime as follows:
Christians are not permitted to build a Monastery, Church, or monk's cell, and not allowed to renovate what is damaged.
· Christians may not forbid any Muslims to stay overnight in their church for three nights, serving them food.
· It is imperative that Christians respect Muslims and not forbid any of their relatives to convert to Islam.
· It is imperative that Christians accommodate Muslims, leaving them their seats when Muslims need to sit.
· It is imperative that Christians not dress similar to the dress of Muslims.
· Christians are not permitted to ride horses, carry swords or sell liquor.
· Christians have to cut their hair in front and buckle their belts around their waist.
· It is imperative that Christians conceal their crosses and book.
· Christian dead may not be buried next to a Muslim cemetery. Christians cannot cry over their dead.
· It is imperative that Christians keep low voices in their churches, the same for their musical instruments.
· Muslims can do whatever they like to any Christian because they are slaves and without free will.
Our dilemma lies in the fact that the American people, as well as others in the West, are simply unable to grasp the Arab-Muslim mentality because to understand it we must be outside our Western mind-set. By reaching beyond our borders and focusing on both the accounts of the oppressed non-Muslims within Arab countries and parallel examples around the world, we may begin to understand the goals, motives and thinking of this particular culture.
Muslims come to the U.S. to join their colleagues and families, open mosques and worship freely. In addition, their accompanying religious legal system (Shariah) rules every aspect of a Muslim lifestyle and forms the mind-set and practice of Muslim culture. This is strikingly different from the Christian way of thinking. In Matthew 22:21, Jesus confirms the concept of separation of church and state by saying, "Give to Cesar what is Cesar's, and to God what is God's." There is no similar concept in Islam because Mohammad was both the political and religious leader.
Arab-Muslims living in America experience true freedom of religion because they are allowed to worship freely as a minority religion. In most cases, the countries they have left behind do not have this practice, but have religious-run governments with no tolerance for other faiths. Arab-Muslims do not immigrate to America to find religious freedom because they are able to practice without hindrance in their homelands.
It does seem likely that practitioners of Islam here in America are not subscribers to the Bill of Rights for the long term, but instead choose the precepts of Islam and the verses which dictate their actions. As sweet words are spoken, the sword is drawn and ready, as in this quote translated into English from one of the basic Islamic reference books: Sahih al-Bukhari 6924-Allah's Messenger said, "I have been ordered to kill the people till they say, 'there is no other god but but Allah'('La ilaha illallah'), and whoever said La ilaha illahllah, Allah will save his property and his life from me."
The United States is indeed at a crossroads, and it is time to put aside our political differences in order to defend our liberties. Our freedom is a way of life and a treasure which we are obligated to protect, and we must acknowledge that we are accepting those into our country who now constitute a serious threat to our values. Islamic immigration with the implementation of Shariah law is not assimilation into the U.S. of America but rather a distinctly different intention. We must not be silent on this issue but find the courage to speak out to defend our precious freedom here on American soil.
About Us
Voice of the Copts Website is an independent electronic news site which belongs to the Organization known under the same name.
Our goal is to report news of discrimination and oppression of religious minorities in every corner of our planet. A special attention will be given to those taking place in countries ruled by the Arabs, as well as providing an in-depth explanation of their mentality, behaviour and their way of living.
Since we are Copts, events of interest to the Copts concerning issues in their homeland, Egypt, will be covered, Our website would be an open window on the Coptic culture, as well as a comprehensive source of information on the Copts' suffering in their own land.
Voice of the Copts
A non profit human rights organization working to free the pressed and persecuted Coptic Christians of Egypt.
Voice of the Copts is a 501 (c) (3).
Position Statement / VOTC Local Chapter Membership
Copts of Egypt have been suffering for more than 1,430 years of oppression, discrimination and persecution from the time of Arab invaders until now.
The Arabs' ultimate goal and express purpose is to conquer the whole world and convert its population to their faith (Islam).
While we at Voice of the Copts respect each and every faith, we do not accept aggression and violence under any circumstance. Copts (Christians) of Egypt, representing more than 20% of Egypt's population (80 million), encounter persecution under the current Egyptian regime lead by Hosni Mubarak, a dictator who is following in the footsteps of his predecessors.
According to the 2009 U.S. Report on Religious Freedom, the Egyptian government has been placed on the Watch List for tolerating Islamist violence of Coptic citizens. The participation of the Egyptian regime in this violence is evidenced by its law enforcement's support of Arab attacks on Copts and their homes, businesses, churches and monasteries. They have allowed the kidnapping and raping of Coptic girls and women as a means of forcing them to embrace Islam.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom 2009 states,
"The government has not taken sufficient steps to halt the repression of and discrimination against religious believers." In all cases the regime punished the attacked instead of the attackers.
The Commission goes on to state, "Christians face official and societal discrimination.... and the Egyptian government generally does not recognize conversions of Muslims to other religions."
Our mission is to speak for the oppressed Copts and all others who are persecuted for their faith. While the Coptic Christians suffer in Egypt in the same way that Christians and non-Muslims do in all countries with a Muslim or Arab majority, Westerners ignore this fact and how it may relate.
Voice of the Copts therefore is compelled to make the argument that Islam is the common thread linking the daily news stories we present from around the world (www.voiceofthecopts.org in Italian www.lavocedeicopti.org) and that a pattern and intention is apparent in their actions to target and submit the non-Muslim population to Shariah in the nations where their presence is a stronghold. In this way, we wish to bring the West a concise picture of what the future holds if the free world continues to be complacent about this matter.
Our goal will always be to create awareness and spread the truth about those who neglect to uphold the freedoms of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as exhibited currently in the forces against Christianity in Egypt today. In doing so, our particular emphasis is on the concept of political correctness as a device which is relied upon by those who hate the rights and freedoms of the West and will therefore cause the eroding of our freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
In the beginning, Voice of the Copts solely targeted the media and political leaders around the world. Now with the local chapter initiative, VOTC reaches out to the grassroots in an effort to build a worldwide coalition to speak out for freedom and fight to preserve it for the future of our children and grandchildren.
Our human rights organization does not belong to any political party nor do we operate as an extension of any organized religion. We are fighting for freedom. Our language is straightforward and does not adhere to political correctness.
In our struggle to empower our Copts in their homeland, we believe this will happen when they attain absolute full rights and equalityunder fair law with respect to the Egyptian secular constitution -- in existence before the coup of 1952 -- along with standard international conventions as per human rights conformity.
We are looking to extend our organization to be present in each state and in every town and city around the world. Our goal is to serve the following purposes:
- To promote political awareness.
- To increase assistance to those in need.
- To increase connections with local political leaders, administrative personnel, local media and citizens.
- To emphasize equality for women and defend the human rights of women.
- To promote better understanding of the Middle East dilemma in order to avoid the same in our homelands.
If you agree with our goals, please become a VOTC member. We encourage you to join us. We need you! We cannot achieve our goals without you.
Become a leader of a VOTC local chapter and help the oppressed, discriminated and persecuted of Egypt and around the world.
Sign up for a membership today and support our cause by clicking on the membership link at: http://voiceofthecopts.org/en/membership_application.html
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