Fed up with Islam Yet???
- Thread starter Colpy
- Start date
Oh ya.... he's a real intelligent one, he is..... I also popped over to his hero Pamela Gellers site.... she's another one. I'm wondering who pay's them to keep the fear index at it's highest? AlQueda?
Danish Muslim leader regrets role in cartoon rage
JAN M. OLSEN
Associated Press
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) -- A Danish Muslim leader who seven years ago traveled the Muslim world fueling the uproar over newspaper caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad is back in the headlines in Denmark after doing an about-face on the issue.
Once a leading critic of the Danish cartoons, which sparked fiery protests in Muslim countries, Lebanese-born Ahmad Akkari now says the Jyllands-Posten newspaper had the right to print them.
His unexpected change of heart has received praise from pundits and politicians in recent weeks, though some question his sincerity. It has also disappointed some in the country's Muslim minority who were deeply offended by the cartoons.
Akkari, now 35, was the spokesman for a group of imams who led the protests against the drawings in Denmark. They traveled to Lebanon, Egypt and Syria to elicit support, saying the Danish government wouldn't listen to their concerns.
Their journeys helped turn the dispute into an international crisis. Dozens were killed in weeks of protests that included violent attacks against Danish missions in Syria, Iran, Afghanistan and Lebanon. Tiny Denmark found itself on a collision course with the Muslim world -- something Akkari now regrets.
"I want to be clear today about the trip: It was totally wrong," Akkari told The Associated Press this week. "At that time, I was so fascinated with this logical force in the Islamic mindset that I could not see the greater picture. I was convinced it was a fight for my faith, Islam."
He said he's still a practicing Muslim but started doubting his fundamentalist beliefs after a 2007 trip to Lebanon, where he met Islamist leaders.
"I was shocked. I realized what an oppressive mentality they have," Akkari said.
A year later, he moved to Greenland, the desolate Danish Arctic island, where he worked in a school for two years.
"I had plenty of time to read and write. And think," said Akkari, who has shaved off the patchy beard he used to wear.
Islamic law generally opposes any depiction of the prophet, even favorable ones, for fear it could lead to idolatry. Arguing that such religious sensitivities should not limit the freedom of speech, Jyllands-Posten in 2005 invited Danish cartoonists to draw the prophet.
At the time, Akkari joined Muslim hardliners demanding an apology from the paper and action against it by the government. He appeared to advocate violence against a more moderate Danish Muslim in a secret TV recording, but later said it was just a joke.
Akkari now says printing the drawings was OK and that his reaction at the time was wrong. Last week he even apologized in person to one of the cartoonists, Kurt Westergaard, who has faced multiple death threats and murder attempts from extremists. Many Muslims consider Westergaard's drawing, which depicts Muhammad with a bomb-shaped turban, as the most offensive.
"I met a man who has converted from being an Islamist to become a humanist who understands the values of our society," Westergaard said of Akkari. "To me, he is really sincere, convincing and strong in his views."
Akkari's former colleagues in the Islamic Society of Denmark are not impressed, and have reportedly accused him of being an attention-seeker trying to get back into the limelight.
Group spokesman Bilal H. Assaad declined to comment on Akkari on Thursday but said "it is still not OK to publish drawings of Muhammad. We have not changed our position."
The group is believed to represent about 10 percent of Denmark's estimated 200,000 Muslims.
Michael Ulveman, who was an adviser to then-Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Ramussen during the cartoon crisis, also expressed doubts about Akkari's sincerity.
"I think Ahmad Akkari should go on al-Jazeera and tell the Arabic world about his new realization," Ulveman wrote on his Facebook page. "That would have real value for Denmark and the freedom of speech. And convince many of us about the depth and reach of his reorientation."
Danish Muslim leader regrets role in cartoon rage - WTOP.com
JAN M. OLSEN
Associated Press
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) -- A Danish Muslim leader who seven years ago traveled the Muslim world fueling the uproar over newspaper caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad is back in the headlines in Denmark after doing an about-face on the issue.
Once a leading critic of the Danish cartoons, which sparked fiery protests in Muslim countries, Lebanese-born Ahmad Akkari now says the Jyllands-Posten newspaper had the right to print them.
His unexpected change of heart has received praise from pundits and politicians in recent weeks, though some question his sincerity. It has also disappointed some in the country's Muslim minority who were deeply offended by the cartoons.
Akkari, now 35, was the spokesman for a group of imams who led the protests against the drawings in Denmark. They traveled to Lebanon, Egypt and Syria to elicit support, saying the Danish government wouldn't listen to their concerns.
Their journeys helped turn the dispute into an international crisis. Dozens were killed in weeks of protests that included violent attacks against Danish missions in Syria, Iran, Afghanistan and Lebanon. Tiny Denmark found itself on a collision course with the Muslim world -- something Akkari now regrets.
"I want to be clear today about the trip: It was totally wrong," Akkari told The Associated Press this week. "At that time, I was so fascinated with this logical force in the Islamic mindset that I could not see the greater picture. I was convinced it was a fight for my faith, Islam."
He said he's still a practicing Muslim but started doubting his fundamentalist beliefs after a 2007 trip to Lebanon, where he met Islamist leaders.
"I was shocked. I realized what an oppressive mentality they have," Akkari said.
A year later, he moved to Greenland, the desolate Danish Arctic island, where he worked in a school for two years.
"I had plenty of time to read and write. And think," said Akkari, who has shaved off the patchy beard he used to wear.
Islamic law generally opposes any depiction of the prophet, even favorable ones, for fear it could lead to idolatry. Arguing that such religious sensitivities should not limit the freedom of speech, Jyllands-Posten in 2005 invited Danish cartoonists to draw the prophet.
At the time, Akkari joined Muslim hardliners demanding an apology from the paper and action against it by the government. He appeared to advocate violence against a more moderate Danish Muslim in a secret TV recording, but later said it was just a joke.
Akkari now says printing the drawings was OK and that his reaction at the time was wrong. Last week he even apologized in person to one of the cartoonists, Kurt Westergaard, who has faced multiple death threats and murder attempts from extremists. Many Muslims consider Westergaard's drawing, which depicts Muhammad with a bomb-shaped turban, as the most offensive.
"I met a man who has converted from being an Islamist to become a humanist who understands the values of our society," Westergaard said of Akkari. "To me, he is really sincere, convincing and strong in his views."
Akkari's former colleagues in the Islamic Society of Denmark are not impressed, and have reportedly accused him of being an attention-seeker trying to get back into the limelight.
Group spokesman Bilal H. Assaad declined to comment on Akkari on Thursday but said "it is still not OK to publish drawings of Muhammad. We have not changed our position."
The group is believed to represent about 10 percent of Denmark's estimated 200,000 Muslims.
Michael Ulveman, who was an adviser to then-Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Ramussen during the cartoon crisis, also expressed doubts about Akkari's sincerity.
"I think Ahmad Akkari should go on al-Jazeera and tell the Arabic world about his new realization," Ulveman wrote on his Facebook page. "That would have real value for Denmark and the freedom of speech. And convince many of us about the depth and reach of his reorientation."
Danish Muslim leader regrets role in cartoon rage - WTOP.com
How did so many Muslims get into Denmark?
Normally it would be because a European nation had occupied a Muslim country, such that an association formed that would facilitate immigration, like France and England with their history of having occupied territories in the middle-east.
Denmark has no such history.
Plus, Scandinavian countries tend to be reticent towards immigration, so, I'm just curious how it happened.
Normally it would be because a European nation had occupied a Muslim country, such that an association formed that would facilitate immigration, like France and England with their history of having occupied territories in the middle-east.
Denmark has no such history.
Plus, Scandinavian countries tend to be reticent towards immigration, so, I'm just curious how it happened.
Minnesota Jihadists: “I’m Proud To Be A Traitor To America”
A new terrorist propaganda video posted to YouTube aims to lure Somali-American youths in Minnesota to the Middle East to wage jihad against “infidel forces,” comparing the experience to a visit to Disneyland.
The 39-minute video shows images of smiling, machine gun-wielding young men and onscreen English slogans glorifying terrorism, including “Minnesota Martyrs,” “I am proud to be a traitor to America,” and “the path to paradise.”
WCCO-TV reported that even before the video was posted online on Wednesday, more than two-dozen young Somali-Americans from the Twin Cities had already been lured to overseas terrorist training camps.
According to the Associated Press, at least 20 young men have traveled from Minnesota to join the Somali-based branch of Al Qaeda, Al-Shabab.
The FBI told WCCO that Al-Shabab is believed to be behind the video, which shows images from the streets of Minnesota, graphic photos of dead Muslim children, and U.S. forces operating in the Middle East.
It also shows jihadis in military fatigues lined up in formation marching next to the black Al Qaeda flag.
“It is troubling, because it uses the medium of video to romanticize what it is to go to Somalia and fight,” FBI spokesman Kyle Loven told WCCO. “And it’s appealing, unfortunately, to some young men here in Minneapolis.”
more
‘The Real Disneyland’: New Video Tries to Recruit Somali-Americans in Minnesota for Jihad | Video | TheBlaze.com
A new terrorist propaganda video posted to YouTube aims to lure Somali-American youths in Minnesota to the Middle East to wage jihad against “infidel forces,” comparing the experience to a visit to Disneyland.
The 39-minute video shows images of smiling, machine gun-wielding young men and onscreen English slogans glorifying terrorism, including “Minnesota Martyrs,” “I am proud to be a traitor to America,” and “the path to paradise.”
WCCO-TV reported that even before the video was posted online on Wednesday, more than two-dozen young Somali-Americans from the Twin Cities had already been lured to overseas terrorist training camps.
According to the Associated Press, at least 20 young men have traveled from Minnesota to join the Somali-based branch of Al Qaeda, Al-Shabab.
The FBI told WCCO that Al-Shabab is believed to be behind the video, which shows images from the streets of Minnesota, graphic photos of dead Muslim children, and U.S. forces operating in the Middle East.
It also shows jihadis in military fatigues lined up in formation marching next to the black Al Qaeda flag.
“It is troubling, because it uses the medium of video to romanticize what it is to go to Somalia and fight,” FBI spokesman Kyle Loven told WCCO. “And it’s appealing, unfortunately, to some young men here in Minneapolis.”
more
‘The Real Disneyland’: New Video Tries to Recruit Somali-Americans in Minnesota for Jihad | Video | TheBlaze.com
Do the young men have to pay for the journey themselves?
If it's being paid for them, maybe they just want to get away from the Minnesota winter, which is possibly the harshest of the lower 48.
Someone should look at the stats to see when they traveled.
This little girl is quite intelligent. Some can figure it out by themselves (Waris Dirie comes to mind...different circumstances but another disenfranchised child who fought back) and others become completely victimized and incapable of acting on their own behalf.
I am not going to open the video because I know it will be unsettling to my peaceful lazy Sunday. They know who to target as apparently it is working. I don't even know how to avoid that other than to sit with your kid and have them watch it and help them to correctly and logically analyse it.
