Some interesting links

1. Al Qaeda kills another Counter-Narcotics Agent @ Armies of Liberation.
2. Switzerland’s ban on minarets is a European shift @ Chicago Tribune.
3. Attention Jihadists: Please have your Boarding Passes Ready @ NewsReal Blog.
4. Police suspects honor killing in Delhi’s girl @Daily Times India.
5. Obama: the empty-suit Nobel laureate @ The Washington Times.

Hope that you find them useful!

Spain: AQIM speaks about Islamist imprisoned in Spain

This is an update on this story (1, 2, 3, 4). El Mundo:

Sources of the Penitentiary Institutions in Spain reported yesterday that there are 64 Islamists imprisoned in Spain, most of them condemned by Jihadist activities related to March 11th bombings, and with Police Operations called “Nova” and “Dátil”.

Nearly a dozen Islamists condemned by their role on March 11th bombings, are imprisoned, among others,Jamal Zougam, who was an active player in the massacre.

Islamists related to March 11th bombings were accused of being “members of cells or terrorist groups, Jihadist-related, who, using violence as a mean to achieve their targets in all their activities, want to end every democratic regime and eliminate the culture of Western Christian tradition. They also want to impose an Islamic state under Sharia Law, that is, the Islamic Law in its most radical, extreme and less common expression”.

In “Operación Nova”, the Third Section of the Criminal Tribunal from the National Court published on Feb 2008 a sentence in which 20 Islamists were condemned to 173 yearsin prison. The charges were belonging and colaborating with terrorist organization.

Lastly, “Operación Dátil” ended with a sentence of the same tribunal on Sept 2005. It condemned 18 person, among others Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas, aka “Abu Dahdah”. He was considered as the leader of an AQ cell in Spain. He was also condemned on conspiration charges related to Sept 11 2001 attacks on US.

ABC.es:

In the text, the criminals announce they will “not stop” in “our will to combat and kill you and we will resist your attacks to help our tortured imprisoned [fellows] in your prisons”. In Spanish prisons there are around 60 Jihadist prisoners and some of them belong to the Salafist school. Linked to the latter, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat was born, group which was later transformed into AQIM.

…Even if officially there are no proofs of financial payments from the Governments, it is true that the terrorists have only freed the hostages after their financial demands were fully satisfied. One of the organizations which has mediated in some of AQIM kidnappings is the foundation directed by Seif El Islam, Muamar El Gadaffi’s son, who has a “widespread net” in the Sahel’s area, although in the last kidnappings another channels have also been used. France and Spain will work together in the negotiation’s area for obvious reasons: French Administration knows well the area because of its condition of former metropoly.

Spain: Ban on Minarets survey

Esther from Islam In Europe, asked me yesterday if I have seen any polls on the subject on Spanish MSM. Daniel Pipes has this:

14,000 readers of 20 Minutos voted 93-6 percent in favor of the statement “Good, we must curb Islamization’s growing presence” and against “Bad, it is an obstacle to the integration of immigrants.” 35,000 readers of El MUndo replied 80-20 percent that they support a Swiss-like banning of minarets.

As this is not the only poll that shows these numbers across Europe he reasons about them:

First, it raises delicate issues of reciprocity in Muslim-Christian relations. A few examples: When Our Lady of the Rosary, Qatar’s first-ever church opened in 2008, it did so minus cross, bell, dome, steeple, or signboard. Rosary’s priest, Father Tom Veneracion, explained their absence: “The idea is to be discreet because we don’t want to inflame any sensitivities.” And when the Christians of a town in Upper Egypt, Nazlet al-Badraman, finally after four years of “laborious negotiation, pleading, and grappling with the authorities,” won permission in October to restore a tottering tower at the Mar-Girgis Church, a mob of about 200 Muslims attacked them, throwing stones and shouting Islamic and sectarian slogans. The situation for Copts is so bad, they have reverted to building secret churches.

Why, the Catholic Church and others are asking, should Christians suffer such indignities while Muslims enjoy full rights in historically Christian countries? The Swiss vote fits into this new spirit. Islamists, of course, reject this premise of equality; Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottakiwarned his Swiss counterpart of unspecified “consequences” of what he called anti-Islamic acts, implicitly threatening to make the minaret ban an international issue comparable to the Danish cartoonfracas of 2006.

Second, Europe stands at a crossroads with respect to its Muslim population. Of the three main future prospects – everyone getting along, Muslims dominating, or Muslims rejected – the first is highly improbable but the second and third seem equally possible. In this context, the Swiss vote represents a potentially important legitimation of anti-Islamic views. The vote inspired support across Europe, as signaled by online polling sponsored by the mainstream media and by statements from leading figures.

Iran: no mercy with protesters

Reuters:

A nationwide rally on Monday to mark the killing of three students under the Shah turned violent when students clashed with security forces armed with batons and tear gas in the largest anti-government protests in months.

“From now on, we will show no mercy toward anyone who acts against national security. They will be confronted firmly,” said prosecutor Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Witnesses said scuffles occurred between students loyal to opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi and others who support hardline President Ahmadinejad in Tehran universities on Tuesday.

Any international condemnation?

Venezuela-Sahel: international net of drug trafficking and terrorism

Following the news of 4 European (3 Spanish and 1 French) volunteers kidnapped by Al-Qaeda in Mauritania and taken then to Mali, I posted about the UN denouncing that international drug trafficking is financing terrorist groups in the Sahel, a Saharan region. In its Mauritanian and Mali zones is where AQIM has now its headquarters after being expelled from Algerian coasts. The link shows a connection with Bolivarian Venezuela:

The United Nations says the discovery of a crashed plane in Mali carrying cocaine from Venezuela has revealed a link between drug trafficking and terrorism.

The head of the UN drugs agency, Antonio Maria Costa, has warned that a sub-Saharan region of Africa, known as the Sahel, has become a new centre for drug trafficking, and the trade is helping to fund rebels and militant groups.

The BBC reports the wreckage of a Boeing 727 was found in Mali last month with up to 10 tonnes of cocaine from Venezuela on board.

via Radio New Zealand News : Stories : 2009 : 12 : 10 : Link revealed by UN between drug trafficking and terrorism.

More on the links between Chávez and terrorism: Venezuela’s new Continental Bolivarian Movement: 15 Minutes on Latin America @ Fausta’s Blog.

Spain: Islamic Moral Police in action

From El Periódico, with thanks to Esther:

Sources in the interior ministry involved in anti-terrorism say that the case of the alleged abduction and trial of a woman in Reus by Muslim fundamentalists is the most violent expression of the an increasingly disturbing phenomenon: fundamentalist groups of people who, with support of ultra-conservative mosques, assume the role of judge and police of Islamic morals and exert enormous social pressure on the Muslims in these towns.

The phenomenon, which for years has been manifesting itself in countries like France and the Netherlands [ed: I'm not sure where they got that last one from], has been detected in rural municipalities in the Camp de Tarragona area, as well as in villages in Gironès and Segarra.

This always happens in towns where the mosque is run by followers of Salafism, an ultra-conservative denomination, which believes in following the lifestyle of the Salaf (the first followers of Mohammed).

These people use their status in the community to shield their community and create a separate country, separated from the Catalan environment, which they consider ungodly. These mosques call on the faithful not to socialize with the Catalans, not to turn to their institutions (police, judges or associations), to only purchase halal products in Muslim shops, and not to use banks, since they charge interest. In addition they pressure parents not to allow their daughters to go to gym class or to the pool, and to take them out of school once they start menstruating.

More in Speroforum.

Well, this doesn’t surprise me. There are two relevant things, by the way:

1. this is the 1st time that Spanish MSM recognises this fact. Specially considering that El Periódico is both leftist (“Alliance of Civilizations“) and Catalan nationalist (They have favoured non-Hispanic immigration to make newcomers speak Catalan rather than Spanish).
2. it’s still an unreported and basically ignored fact. Of course, Catalonia has the most important group of Salafists (or ultra-traditionalist Muslims, in general) in Spain, so it’s rather logical that the first information on this phenomenon comes from there. But it’s not the only part of Spain where Muslims with ultra-traditionalist views live. I would like to hear from other similar groups from Madrid, Valencia, Andalucia (specially Granada), Basque Country, etc.

US: Some Muslims explain in a video why homosexuals should be killed

With thanks to Muslims Against Shariah and Pat Dollard.

Specially dedicated to Fanfatal.

AQIM: “The kidnapped volunteers will be treated according to Islamic Law”

This is an update on this story. ABC.es:

According to AQIM, the “mujahideens” (radical Islamic fighters) who perpetrated “these operations” “are already in their “security bases”, in a non-located region and again, as in yesterday’s message, they say that they terrorist group will publish later the “legitimate demands of the mujahideens”.

The note also sends a message to the “crusaders”, a denomination that Al-Qaeda normally uses for Western countries, and adds that the kidnapped’s security only depends of the “combattants and their Muslim brothers”. The press release finishes with the normal calls for Jihad and in favor of the liberation of their imprisoned comrades.

Meanwhile, two of the March 11th bombings’ victims’ associations have asked the Government to be firm against Al-Qaeda.

Erdogan’s double standards

Last month, Erdogan said: “I know that Bashir is not committing genocide in Darfur, because Bashir is a Muslim and a Muslim can never commit genocide. ( )” What? The International Criminal Court indicted Bashir and has called for his arrest for war crimes in the Darfur conflict, in which 300,000 Sudanese — mostly Muslims — have died.

The AKP’s Sudan policy stands in stark contrast to its Israel policy. At a World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, in January, Erdogan chided Israeli President Shimon Peres, Jews and Israelis about the Gaza war, for “knowing well how to kill people.” Erdogan then walked off the panel. Days later, he hosted the Sudanese vice president in Ankara.

Absolutely disgusting. With this leadership, Turkey should never be allowed entry in the EU.

Obama vows to Erdogan @ Israel Matzav.

Bolivia- Iran relations: “I fund your hospital, your nurses don the hijab”

Yesterday, Bolivian Evo Morales won the elections (attention to the photo included in the BBC link). Only a few days before he met by videocoference with Iranian counterpart Ahmadinejad to sanction the agreement by which Iran funds an advanced hospital and Bolivian female nurses should don the hijab inside the school:

On Wednesday, November 24, Iranian demands that female nurses don the hijab in response to Iran’s providing $1.2 million for funding of the new El Alto city hospital in Bolivia sparked a national outcry among women’s rights advocates within Bolivia.  In an international teleconference in La Paz held between Bolivian President, Evo Morales, and Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to celebrate the hospital’s opening, nurses were shown wearing hijabs as part of their new uniform regulations.

This imposition of political Islamic pseudo-religious attire from another country is causing a rift within Bolivian political ranks.  Even though the Morales administration is the profoundly socialist MAS party, the Iranian demand is still seen as an affront on Bolivian cultural integrity especially in a country with a Roman Catholic majority.

Are all self-called “women’s rights defendants”, feminists and so on, going to protest all over the world for this kind of agreement?

Anyway, it’s interesting to see that Morales, who is so concerned about US imperialism, is not when it’s related to Iranian imperialism.

Spain: Govt confirms AQ’s kidnapping announcement

This is an update of this story. El Mundo:

The technical committee of the Govt in charge of following the kidnapping of these three international volunteers in Mauritania, considers as credible AQIM’s recording in which they acknowledge the kidnappings.

El Pais:

AQ normally asks for freeing the people they had kidnapped, both for money and freeing the Islamist prisoners in Mauritania, Algeria and one in the United Kingdom, Omar Mahmud Othman, nicknamed Abu Qutada, or “Hate Preacher”.

The speaker did not name the region where the kidnapped volunteers are, but most people consider that they have been actually transferred to the north of the country, where AQ has its sanctuaries in the Sahel. Even an Austrian wedding couple captured in Tunisia in 2008 was taken there.

The fact that AQIM has kidnapped both French and Spanish nationals has a good part and a bad part. The positive angle is that Spain is going to work with France, the old colonial ruler of Mali. French secret service, The General Direction for Foreign Security, has the best knowledge of the area.

The negative angle is that AQIM has succeeded to kidnap citizens of both countries, France and Spain, against whom the terrorist organisation has targeted its attacks usuually. “Their boot is very valuable”, according to a Mali journalist.

Abu Qutada @ Wikipedia.

Abu Qutada @ BBC News.

According to UN, drug trafficking finances terrorist groups in the Sahel @ Le Monfe [FR]. Drug trafficking fuels Africa terrorism and crime: UN @ BBC.

UK: Campaign “Jesus 4 Shariah“

Islamization Watch:

The fact that Jesus lived nearly 6 centuries before ever Shariah appeared on Muhammad’s head, does not make a difference for UK Islamist cleric Anjem Choudary.

The fact that Jesus taught “Don’t do others what you don’t like them to do to you“, and Muhammad “If you don’t convert, pay or die“, doesn’t make any difference either for him either.

Anjem Choudary @ Wikipedia.

The unholy past of the Muslim cleric demanding the assasination of the Pope @ This Is London.

What Islam really says about Jesus and his return @ Logan’s Warning.

Spain: AQ acknowledges they kidnapped a French and 3 Spanish volunteers

ADN.es:

Terrorist organization Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI) has acknowledged today that they kidnapped the three Spanish voulunteers, last Nov 29th, according to a press release they have issued today.

In the press release they also acknowledge the kidnapping of another volunteer, a French national. He was taken captive on Nov 25th,

the message was read by a person who identified himself as Salab Abu Mohammed, an AQIM’s speaker.

According to Al-Yazira, Abu Mohammed assured that his organization will send mails to Spanish and French Governments about the conditions to free the 4 captives.

We’ll see what those conditions are…

Saudi Arabia: TV presenter will be executed on witchcraft charges

The only evidence presented in court was reportedly the claim he appeared regularly on Lebanese satellite issuing general advice on life and making predictions about the future.

The case is causing outrage among human rights campaigners but has made little news elsewhere despite the ludicrous nature of the charges and the extraordinary severity of Sibat’s sentence.

“Saudi courts are sanctioning a literal witch hunt by the religious police,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.

“The crime of witchcraft is being used against all sorts of behavior, with the cruel threat of state sanctioned executions.”

Ali Sibat’s supporters say he was denied a lawyer at his trial and was tricked into making a confession.

Yahoo News (via TrueSlant).

What is more:

Unfortunately for Sibat, Saudi Arabian authorities have refused to define what they call “witchcraft,” “sorcery” or “charlatanry.” Saudi Arabia lacks a penal code outside of sharia and judges are given wide latitude in defining criminal acts.

Wow… that’s real security, isn’t it? This guy, I just hate him, let’s condemn him for being a witch.

Spain: Salafist criminal “procedure” condemns a woman to death on adultery charges

El Periódico:

An Islamist  procedure in full. Like the ones held by the Talibans in Afghanistan or by extremist militias in Somalia. But this time it was held in an isolated masía (sort of cottage typical of Catalonia). There, 9 islamists, all of Maghrebi origin, had kidnapped a woman and retained her.

The woman was judged by her captors, who had decided to held a procedure in which they accused her of adultery. Supporting an extremist version of the Islamic law, the Sharia, the kidnappers decided to condemn her to death, according to investigation’s sources.

Luckily, she escaped and went to a police station (Mossos d’Esquadra). According to the agents, her kidnappers were planning to execute her in a short period of time.

After carrying an investigation on the woman’s statement, the Mossos entered on Nov 14th’s midnight in three apartments, located in Reus (Baix Camp) and Valls (Alt Camp) and arrested 9 men, all of them linked to the Salafist movement, an ultraorthodox Islamic school very spread throughout Tarragona. No violent incident have been previously reported as committed by this movement in these surroundings.

Criminal Judge no. 1 from Tarragona has believed what the woman denounced and has ordered imprisonment without bail of 7 of the 9 arrested Islamists. They are accused of performing an ilegal arrest, attempted murder and illicit association.

The special circumstances of this case -1st time it happens in Spain- made the Information Division of the Mossos d’Esquadra, take charge of the case. This is the unit in charge of the Islamist extremism and terrorism. The whole operation was carried out by the Brigada Mòbil of the Mossos, in absolute secrecy (of course, this measures the high quality of Spanish MSM… how on earth they want a police operation to be carried out?).

Once they were arrested, and in a non-very common practice, each one of the arrested was taken to a different police station to prevent them from speaking with each other.

The circumstances of the operation led to the general belief of this being a terrorist-linked operation, but police has denied it from the first day.

(T&P translation).

NOTE. The press release doesn’t say what type of death she was going to be condemned to. But adulterers are normally condemned to death by stoning. So that’s the reason of the photograph I have chosen for the post.

Long time no see

It’s been nearly 3 months since the last post here. We have been busy so we apologize for the inconveniences caused by our long absence.

Yesterday I talked with John, my boss (He-he) over at Infidels are Cool and I told him how is going everything here. So I have decided to write something about it.

Well, the situation is bad, no need to exaggerate. But it can be even worse.

Firstly, we have the economic situation. The Economist, a magazine not well-known for being a staunch supporter of the right-wingers (they actually adored Zapatero before he was elected… you know, he was the Zapateromessiah  ), considers Spain as the sick man of Europe, an expression which was used on the XIXth century specially about the Russian Czarist economy. It has only one word for the actual situation in Spain: unsustainable. 

Spain’s 19% unemployment rate is second only to Latvia’s in the EU. It reflects a structural hangover in a country that got drunk on bricks and mortar before its property bubble burst in 2007. Because of this, Spain entered recession in an already weakened state. As others recover slowly but predictably, Spain will need more time and extra care. Even optimists expect real recovery to come only in 2011.

Secondly, in view of the situation, any responsible (and sound) person would try to care for economy (really care). But instead of that, Zapatero’s Government is taking several astonishing measures:

1.- regarding abortion, the new Spanish law (not yet approved but in Parliament) will make possible that 16-year-old girls have one without their parents permission. Also till the 22nd week, every pregnant woman will be able to have an abortion with no special cause (now, only in one among three causes: a) rape; b) danger for mental or physical health of the mother or c) genetical malformations of the foetus and only till 12th week) and throughout all pregnancy if they are in danger. There was a demonstration (really big one) but, of course, Zapatero didn’t listen to the demonstrators’ demands (of course, Aznar was a dictator because he didn’t listen to the “streets’ demands” over Iraqi war, but Zapatero is not one even if he never listens to anybody who has a different opinion, much more if they are right-wingers).

2.- regarding religion, the Government now wants to get rid of every crucifix in the country. They say that Brussels wants them to do it, after a sentence in which European Union says that it’s against freedom of religion that Christian crucifixes are shown in public schools. Anyway, in here the far-left nationalist Catalonian Republican Left also wants that private and “concertados” (schools which receive money from State but are not public) get rid too of the crucifixes. They don’t see that as incompatible with critisizing (not directly, of course) the Swiss referendum about the minarets, even if I don’t recall any Christian politician referring to Crucifixes as “bayonets”, as Erdogan did about minarets.

3.- the last of the imbecilades of the Government is the so-called “Law of the Sustainable Economy”. Among other issues (renuevable energy sources, investment in development and technology -after cutting it dramatically from State Budget-, etc), they have tried to pass an article by which they actually will be able to take down every webpage if they think that it is infringing “intelectual property rights” (hmm, yes, Zapatero has said that no, “no web, no blog is going to be shut down“, but the Culture Minister insists the article will be maintained in the Law Project). Gizmondo writes about it clearly:

There’s a whole bunch of greedy “artists”—represented by the SGAE, the Spanish version of the RIAA, and some cinema associations—who most of the times are used by the Spanish socialist government to support their political agenda. I say greedy because, in Spain, there’s an “artist tax” on everything that can be used to record something. You buy a CD to do data backup at work? Doesn’t matter, the government’s friends assume you are a thief copying stuff, and charge you an extra for it. Maybe you want a new camera to record your newborn baby? Well, that’s more expensive too because of the “artistic” tax. Want an iPod? Pay extra. A DVD-R unit? Give them more money.

But of course, people know that we have to pay that artist tax (to millionaires like Miguel Bosé, Pedro Almodóvar or Alejandro Sanz, for instance, all of them staunch supporters of these measures) so they began buying all those things through the Internet. Greedy artist knew so… they wanted more money:

… they got it as an obvious favor, returned by the socialist government now in power. After passing the law hidden in another law, the artist associations can now close any web site they want, without a court order. They only have to argue that the site may be used to share media, and the Minister of Culture will have to the power to close the site without any judge giving the go ahead, a true “Cultural Police.” Goodbye democracy, hello National Socialism. What’s more, they also want to be able to close the Internet connection of any user who uses the internet for P2P sharing, also without any due process.

Spanish leftist blogger Ignacio Escolar has blamed US Embassy about this. In a post written yesterday, he actually writes that “some phone calls have been made to both the Government and the opposition to ask for this last reform to be maintained and to support them in being tough with Internet piracy”. Now, he must write that the Mossad, Ariel Sharon and Golda Meir are also in it to complete the picture…

Nora had a problem sometime ago when someone ordered wordpress.com to shut down her Spanish Pundit website because she had posted a photo that was copyrighted. No warning was made, just the blog disappeared. 

So, as I said, this is getting too much complicated (also the conflicts between regions are getting tougher by the minute) and it’s somewhat depressing to see these developments. Makes me angry, really. 

But, in the end, there is nothing to be done, just protest and protest and protest. Of course, most of the time we don’t get any result, but at least we have carried on with our duty as citizens. 

Thanks to you all for your kindness and I hope we are back to blogging as soon as we can.

Philippines: Govt tries to arrest Abu Sayyaf terrorists, clashes spark

Attempts by government troops to arrest three militant leaders wanted by the Philippines and the United States on kidnapping and murder charges sparked clashes that left up to 17 rebels dead, officials said Monday.

The fighting erupted Sunday when government forces cordoned off a village on Jolo island in the southern Philippines and tried to arrest the three Abu Sayyaf commanders. Some of the estimated 220 militants in the village fired on the soldiers and clashes ensued.

Regional military commander Maj. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino said troops recovered the body of one militant, but that intelligence sources indicated at least 17 rebels were killed. Five government soldiers were wounded, Dolorfino said in a brief telephone interview.

The hostilities broke out as residents of the predominantly Muslim island celebrated the Islamic festival of Eid-al-Fitr. Troops were trying to arrest rebel commanders Isnilon Hapilon, Albader Parad and Umbra Jumdail, also known as Dr. Abu.

Related: Philippine troops seize al-Qaida-linked militants’ camp; kill 19 in clashes.

Indonesia: Noordin killed in a shootout with Police

VOA:

Indonesian authorities have confirmed that a man killed in a shootout with police this week is terrorist leader Noordin Top.

National police spokesman Nanan Sukarna said Saturday that DNA tests supported findings of an earlier fingerprint identification.

Noordin was one of four people killed in a raid Thursday on a militant hideout in Central Java. Three others were arrested.

Really. Good. News.

Related: Indonesians welcome death of terrorist leader.

Before:
The reasons of Noordin’s success.
Noordin uses a burqa to avoid police?
Noordin is alive.
Govt will tackle Islamic schools – and track down Noordin.
Noordin Mohammed Top, believed killed.
The JI’s “Jihad on Westerners” using social ties.
Thailand: Southern terrorists could have received training from JI.
Singapore: JI’s terrorist attack on Changi airport foiled.
Jakarta bombings: Malaysia questions 3 JI simpathizers.
Raids on JI terrorists prove existence of Islamist social nets.
3rd bomb in Jakarta bombings malfunctioned.
Malaysia: Noordin Mat Top not in the country.
Jakarta: suicide attacks most likely carried by JI offshoot.

The reason of the peaceful Iranian nuclear program

Well, it looks like so. From Realite-UE free newsletter:

As Iran moves ahead with its nuclear ambitions other countries in the Gulf are pushing forward with their own plans to go nuclear. [1] Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have all indicated interest in developing nuclear programs. [2]

Nowhere is the concern over Iran’s nuclear ambition felt more strongly than among Iran’s Arab neighbors in the Persian Gulf region. While they watch uneasily for signs of Iranian nuclear progress, Saudis and Emiratis will continue to spend billions of dollars on ballistic missile defense systems. [3]

The Gulf States have ambivalent relations with Iran. While Iran is seen a strategic threat it is also a trading partner and possible Mideast regional leader. Statements and actions by Gulf leaders reflect this ambiguity.

Bahrain

• In September 2009, Commander-in-chief of the Bahrain Defense Force, Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, said Iran is an important country that greatly influences regional security and stability. Sheikh Al-Khalifa and Iranian ambassador to Bahrain Hossein Amir Abdollahian discussed Tehran-Manama relations and called for an expansion in cooperation especially in military spheres. [4]
• In June 2009, Bahrain closed the newspaper Akhbar al-Khaleej after it published an article heavily critical of the Iranian government. [5]
• Bahrain has supported using diplomacy to resolve the conflict over Iran’s nuclear program though Iran’s uranium enrichment has complicated relations between Iran and Bahrain. Bahrain is an ally of the United States. [6]
• In 2007, Manama and Tehran discussed increasing annual trade to $1 billion per year and bolstering their joint health and tourism cooperation. Both countries proposed a large purchase of Iranian oil to help fuel Bahraini development in May 2008. ["Bahrain-Iran Cooperation Hailed," Bahrain News Agency, December 26, 2007; "Bahrain Eyes Gas Imports From Iran," Press TV, May 27, 2008]
• In March 2008, the United States Treasury Department announced sanctions against Future Bank B.S.C, a Bahraini Bank accusing of helping Iran’s alleged nuclear proliferation activities. Future Bank B.S.C. is controlled by Iran’s Bank Melli, which is sanctioned “for facilitating Iran’s proliferation activities.” [8]
• Bahrain turned down financial and technical support that Iran offered in October 2007 to help Bahrain establish its own civilian nuclear energy program. [Tourmi, Habib: "Bahrain Rejects Nuclear Assistance by Iran," Gulf News, October 24, 2007]

Kuwait

• Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah congratulated Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 2009, after his re-election. Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah described Iran as Kuwait’s friend and expressed hope that Kuwait and Iran and would continue to expand their relationship in all fields. [10] This, despite the fact that Kuwait has been a major allay of Washington since the 1991 Gulf War.
• Kuwait’s government has declared it will not allow its territories to be used for military action against Iran. [11]
• Kuwait and Iran held their first Economic Commission in January 2008 in order to create a platform for more financial connections between the countries. [12]
• Renowned Kuwaiti author Abdullah Al-Hadlaq has urged the Gulf States to suspend their diplomatic relations with Iran and deal with its real agenda. He insisted that the country’s nuclear program was not adopted for peaceful purposes despite Iran’s pretence that it was, in reality being a military program. [13]

Oman

• Oman has accelerated its cooperation with Tehran, nurturing an alliance that helps empower Iran while highlighting the deep divisions among Arab capitals. Oman has refused overtures of its larger neighbors to pull away from Iran. [14]
• Oman sees Iran as an important political and economic ally that is “too powerful and too potentially dangerous to ignore, let alone antagonize.” Oman has for years helped Iranian smugglers circumvent international trade sanctions. [Ibid]
• In August 2009, Oman and Iran signed an agreement for security cooperation. The deal covers exchange of information and combating infiltration, smuggling and other crimes. [16]
• The Oman Oil Company (OOC) and Hirbodan EPC of Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding to build a power plant at the Queshm Free Zone in Iran. Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said said the agreement reflected the “depth of relations between the two countries.” [Ibid]

Qatar

• Qatar, an ally of the United States, has been outspoken against Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. [18] However, Qatar has rejected the Security Council’s resolutions against Iran, calling them counterproductive. ["First Target For Iran: Qatar?," Middle East Times, November 26, 2007]
• In January 2009, Qatar, Iran and Russia met in Tehran, where they agreed to establish a “gas troika” to cooperate on the exploration and production of their gas reserves. [20]
• In a meeting in April 2009 with the Qatari minister of information, Sheikh Hamad Bin Thamar At-Thani, Iranian Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani expressed Iran’s desire to create unity among regional and Muslim countries. Sheikh Hamad Bin Thamar At-Thani said that Qatar appreciates Iran’s position on regional and international issues. ["Iran Pursues Unity Strategy In The Region: Larijani," Iranian Students News Agency, April 8, 2009]
• In a meeting in July 2009 with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Ahamad Bin Khalifa al-Thanii, Larijani described Qatar as a strategic partner and indicated that Iran is determined to expand its bilateral ties with Qatar. The Emir of Qatar said: “Iran is always standing behind Arab sand people of Palestine, but some want to make minds turn against the country while we have no problem with it. Iran is always our friend and we won’t allow any ill-will person to create problems between us.” [22]

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

• In August 2009, the National Iranian Gas Export Company (NIGEC) and a UAE company signed an agreement for transferring Iranian natural gas to the UAE. [23]
• On August 14, 2009, the UAE seized a cargo of North Korean weapons being shipped to Iran, which would have violated a UN embargo on arms exports from North Korea. [24]
• UAE sees Iran as both a threat and a valued trading partner – it spends billions to defend itself against a perceived Iranian threat while it also enjoys a robust trading relationship with Iran. The UAE is one of Iran’s largest trading partners. [25]

So, Iran’s Ayatollahs want the Gulf for themselves, and don’t want to end like Saddam Hussein if they invade them. Peaceful nuclear technology? Yeah, what a joke!

Pakistan: arrested Christian found “dead” in prison

From ICC:

A Muslim family enraged by the fact that Falish had fallen in love with their daughter, concocted the blasphemy allegations. Of course, their daughter could not decide for herself.

Falish had severe wounds on his face, arms and the rest of his body, but the Police in Pakistan still insists he committed suicide. Well, a real strange suicide, isn’t it?