Category Archives: Politics

What Would al Qaeda’s PowerPoints Say?

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An article shared by Tahir Mahmood

It seems unlikely that al Qaeda holds conference calls to do business, and they probably don’t use PowerPoints. But for the sake of discussion, what if they did? And if they held one today, what would their presentation look like?

To al Qaeda, there would be much about which to gloat:

Slide one: “We have survived the infidel’s mightiest blows.” The terrorist group’s primary objective is to keep its jihad alive. Al Qaeda cannot control its own destiny, but it can try to exploit circumstances by insinuating itself into local conflicts.

http://m.rand.org/blog/2013/08/what-would-al-qaedas-powerpoints-say.html

Islamic fundamentalism, Post-modernism and science

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Islamic fundamentalism, Post-modernism and science      

by Awais Masood

The killing of Yemeni-American Imam, Anwar al-Awlaki, in a drone attack has brought to front the significance of Islamist propaganda in cyberspace and its effects on terror recruitment. Hundreds of sermons by Awlaki were available on the internet. He operated a Facebook page, ran a blog and was described as ‘Osama bin Laden of the internet’. His online influence has been linked with more than a dozen terror investigations including the Fort Hood shooting by Major Nidal Hasan and the Times Square bombing attempt by Faisal Shahzad.

The relationship between religious fundamentalism and technology has remained complicated. Religious fundamentalist movements have been widely described as reaction to modernity though the movements are themselves modern in nature. Hence there exists an inherent conflict where these movements reject the underlying notions of rationality, secular and scientific constituting modernity. On the other hand, these movements continue to appropriate modern symbols and technology to further their cause. Historically, fundamentalist movements vehemently opposed natural sciences and technology but that does not hold true anymore. As stated in a paper titled ‘Postmodern Conservatism and Religious Fundamentalism’ by Geoff Boucher, the fundamentalist movements of today harbor a selective, instead of a wholesome, hostility towards natural sciences and try to engage in an understanding of the world that remains compatible with the commercialized science of today encompassing applied sciences and technology. Hence, these movements hold a significant appeal among technical professionals such as engineers, doctor and lawyers. Carrying forward this correlation between technical education and fundamentalism, a 2009 study published in The European Journal of Sociology showed that engineers constitute 20 percent of all Islamist militant organizations, a value remarkably greater than the expected 3.5 percent figure.

 

To read the full article, please click at the hyper-link below:

 

http://secularpakistan.wordpress.com/2011/11/23/islamic-fundamentalism-post-modernism-and-science/

Posted by Noor Salik    Saturday, 08/24/2013

Iran would barely retaliate if its nuclear program were attacked

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Shared by Tahir Mahmood

Iran is unlikely to unleash a war in response to a military strike on its nuclear facilities, Strategic Affairs and Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz said, estimating that possible retaliation would include not more than “two or three days of missile fire” against Israel and/or Western targets in the region, causing “very limited damage.”

Speaking to The Times of Israel earlier this week, Steinitz predicted that Iran’s new President Hasan Rouhani will offer minor goodwill steps to signal his willingness to compromise on the nuclear question, which he will follow up with demands to ease the sanctions while the regime continues to inch toward weapons capability. Steinitz urged the international community not to be fooled by Rouhani’s seemingly moderate rhetoric, and called instead for an internationally endorsed deadline that, if crossed, would be followed by the destruction of the country’s military facilities.

In the second part of an extensive interview conducted in his Jerusalem office (read part 1), Steinitz, a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said he was not sure whether the United States was currently willing to attack the Iranian nuclear facilities. If so ordered, the American army is capable of “relatively easily, or at least quickly and efficiently,” taking out those facilities, the minister said.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=643952

ILLINOIS POLICE DEPARTMENTS CANCEL EVENTS WITH ANTI MUSLIM TRAINER

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Good News Alert: Illinois Police Departments Cancel Events with Anti-Muslim Trainer

Sam-Kharoba

CAIR-Chicago to work with appropriate agencies to ensure high standards for qualified trainers on Islam

(CHICAGO, IL, 8/16/2013) — The Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) today announced that the Lombard Police Department has joined the Elmhurst and Highland Park police departments in cancelling previously scheduled trainings featuring controversial anti-Islam trainer Sam Kharoba.

CAIR-Chicago commended officials in Lombard for their swift action in addressing the Muslim community’s concerns about the police trainings offered by Kharoba, an unqualified notoriously biased expert, and organized by the North East Multi-Regional Training academy (NEMRT). CAIR-Chicago thanked Lombard Village President Keith Giagnorio for his commitment to high standards of training.

CAIR-Chicago also thanked the dozens of callers from the community, as well as partner coalition members from the Jewish, African-American and Latino communities, who expressed outrage at the trainings and support for CAIR’s outreach efforts. CAIR-Chicago additionally expressed appreciation for the role Moon Khan played in bringing the matter to Lombard officials.

Kharoba teaches extremist views about Islam that are inaccurate and biased. Such views were featured in “How We Train Our Cops to Fear Islam,” an investigative piece published in Washington Monthly‘s March/April 2011 edition:

  • “When I look at the life of Muhammad, I get a very nasty image,” said Kharoba, pausing to look around the auditorium. The audience was silent. “I am talking about a pedophile, a serial killer, a rapist,” Kharoba said. “And that is just to start off with. Anyone who says that Islam is a religion of peace,” he continued, “is either ignorant or flat out lying.”
  • “Islam is a highly violent radical religion that mandates that all of the earth must be Muslim.”
  • “When you have a Muslim that wears a headband, regardless of color or insignia, basically what that is telling you is ‘I am willing to be a martyr.'”
  • http://www.cair.com/press-center/press-releases/12081-illinois-police-departments-cancel-events-with-anti-muslim-trainer.html