Taliban Comeback Traced to Corruption

Until the Taliban were driven from power, Mullah Ehsanullah was an intelligence official, enforcing the militia's Islamic orthodoxy in eastern Afghanistan. Five years later, he is again busy in the Taliban ranks, shepherding recruits through the guerrilla training camps hidden in the rugged terrain here and in Pakistan's tribal regions across the border….(AP, 25 Nov 06)

Taliban, Convicts May Be Afghan Recruits

Taliban militants and common criminals may have infiltrated an Afghan program that trains thousands of men affiliated with local militias to fight the country's growing insurgency….AP, 25 Nov 06)

In Iraq, Reprisals Embolden Militias

…The exacting of revenge for the deaths of more than 200 Shiites on Thursday came as powerful politicians linked to radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr threatened to pull out of Iraq's coalition government if Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki attends a scheduled meeting with President Bush next week in Amman, Jordan. A boycott by loyalists of Sadr, on whom Maliki relies for political support, could upend Iraq's fragile unity government….(Washington Post, 25 Nov 06)

Islamic Radicals: Not More Fervent

In “What Makes a Muslim Radical?” in Foreign Policy magazine, John Esposito, a professor of religion at Georgetown University, and Dalia Mogahed, executive director of Muslim studies for the Gallup Organization, summarize the conclusions on a new Gallup World Poll based on more than 9,000 interviews in nine Muslim countries….(New York Times, 25 Nov 06)

'Hi, my name is Ahmed and I want to be a suicide bomber'

WND was granted access through the Islamic Jihad terror group to a 23-year old Palestinian man who has volunteered to become a suicide bomber and who the organization says has "great potential" to carry out one of the next attempted suicide attacks against Israeli civilians. According to Islamic Jihad leaders, the potential bomber interviewed is one of over "hundreds" of young Palestinians in the northern West Bank who passed necessary recruitment stages and is available to attempt to infiltrate Jewish population centers wearing an explosive belt with the goal of blowing up as many Israelis as possible….(World Net Daily, 24 Nov 06)

"An Attack on the Pillars of Islam"

Ali Bardakoglu, 54, is Turkey's highest Muslim dignitary. SPIEGEL spoke to him about Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Turkey next week and the reactions to the pontiff's Regensburg speech, widely noted for its criticism of Islam….(Spiegel, 24 Nov 06)

A Tiny Window on the U.S., Prized by Those Peering In

… For a United States worried about its tarnished image in the world, the bustling center is testimony to how an accessible library, seminars and courses in English can burnish America’s reputation and comfort those living under autocratic rulers….(New York Times, 23 Nov 06)

Extradition efforts to proceed for terror suspect

The extradition case against Suresh Sriskandarajah is proceeding after a request from officials in the United States was accepted by Canadian Justice Minister Vic Toews. Sriskandarajah, 26, of Waterloo, Ont., is to appear in a Toronto court Jan. 23 to set a date for an extradition hearing on terrorism-related charges. …(Canadian Press, 23 Nov 06)

Florida: Prosecutors Want Charge Against Padilla Reinstated

Federal prosecutors in Miami have asked an appeals court to reinstate a terrorism charge against Jose Padilla, contending that a judge erred in finding that it duplicated other counts in the same indictment ….(New York Times, 22 Nov 06)

Homegrown Terrorists Recruited to Attack America

It's a video showing a room full of children sharing their dreams. They are not excited about being doctors, lawyers or teachers. Instead, the children shout, "We are the nation of Hezbollah. I shall sacrifice my life for Allah."  A group of children in training to be a mujahideen, or holy warriors.  Online there are videos of those warriors. One suicide bomber announces he is readying himself to blow up a group of American soldiers….(First Coast, 22 Nov 06)

Video: Homegrown Terrorists

Bush Plans to Meet With Maliki

President Bush plans to fly to the Middle East next week to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, as the two leaders try to overcome recent tensions and revitalize the war effort, the White House announced last night. The surprise trip underscored the accelerating efforts by Bush and his team to come up with a fresh approach to the war after a period of spiraling violence in Iraq and voter rejection in midterm elections at home…..(Washington Post, 22 Nov 06)

Assassination Increases Tensions With Syria, Iran

…For the past 21 months, the Bush administration has tried to steer the Mediterranean country toward democracy and away from the grips of long-standing Syrian and Iranian influence. As Iraq imploded, the Bush administration hoped that Lebanon might prove an alternative model for the flowering of freedom in the Middle East…(Washington Post, 22 Nov 06)

Fears of Civil Strife Rise in Lebanon

…The assassination of Pierre Gemayel, a divisive figure in a country riven by sectarian tension, underlined the lack of red lines in the escalating struggle over Lebanon's political future that has followed this summer's war between Hezbollah and Israel….(Washington Post, 22 Nov 06)

U.S. to Require Passports for Nearly All

Nearly all air travelers entering the U.S. will be required to show passports beginning Jan. 23, including returning Americans and people from Canada and other nations in the Western Hemisphere. The date was disclosed Tuesday by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff in an interview with The Associated Press. The Homeland Security Department plans to announce the change on Wednesday. The department had been expected to institute the passport requirement for air travelers around the beginning of the year. Setting the date on Jan. 23 pushes the start past the holiday season…..(AP, 22 Nov 06)

Some Muslims Call Airport Detention Bias

The police report listed the incident as "Security-Other," but some saw the detention of six imams at the airport here as a case of "Flying while Muslim" _ the idea that Muslims come in for extra scrutiny when they fly….(AP, 22 Nov 06)

Putting Homeland Security First

“I never felt bad in my life like that. I never. Six imams. Six leaders in this country. Six scholars in handcuffs. It’s terrible.” So spoke Imam Omar Shahin, director of the Islamic Center of Tucson, after he and five other imams were removed from a Phoenix-bound US Airways flight at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport….(FrontPage, 22 Nov 06)

6 Imams Removed From Flight for Behavior Deemed Suspicious

Six Muslim religious leaders were taken off a US Airways flight in Minneapolis on Monday evening and detained for several hours after some passengers and crew members complained of behavior they deemed suspicious, including prayers at the gate….(New york Times, 22 Nov 06)

Reno Joins Criticism of Anti-Terror Strategy
Former attorney general Janet Reno has taken the unusual step of openly criticizing the Bush administration's anti-terrorism strategy -- joining seven other former Justice Department officials in warning that the indefinite detention of U.S. terrorism suspects could become commonplace unless the courts intervene….(Washington Post, 22 Nov 06)

21-Month Term For Marine in Death of Iraqi

… In return for Lance Cpl. Jerry E. Shumate Jr.'s guilty pleas to charges of aggravated assault and conspiracy to obstruct justice, the government dropped other charges, including murder, kidnapping, assault and conspiracy. Shumate is one of seven Marines and a sailor charged with kidnapping Hashim Ibrahim Awad, 52, in the rural town of Hamdaniyah, dragging him to a roadside hole and shooting him, and then trying to cover it up….(AP, 22 Nov 06)

Kuwaiti Journalist: Death Sentence Is a Badge of Honor for Saddam

In an article in the Kuwaiti daily Al-Siyassa, Kuwaiti journalist Khaled Al-Obysan wrote that Saddam Hussein's death sentence was "a badge of honor on his chest," and called upon the Arab League to support the Iraqi resistance…(MEMRI, 22 Nov 06)

Insurgent TV station defies broadcast ban

When Iraqi government officials pulled the plug on al-Zawraa TV this month, they thought they'd finally stamped out a channel known for reporting live from "occupied Baghdad" and for declaring Saddam Hussein's death sentence "a sad day for Iraq." Two weeks later, however, the Sunni-owned station is back -- and bloodier than ever….(McClatchy Newspapers, 22 Nov 06)

Hizbullah: We got USD 300 million
Deputy group leader admits in interview with al-Sharq al-Awsat his organization is receiving financial aid from Iran, other countries for rehabilitation, but stresses organization's plans remain independent…(YNet, 22 Nov 06)

Gallup Poll: Majority of Lebanese Adults Say Hizbullah is Stronger

…A new Gallup poll released this week showed that 64-percent of all Lebanese adults think that Hizbullah’s political position within Lebanon is stronger than it was before the war. The results were consistent across three ethnic groups: Shiite Muslims, Sunni Miuslims and Christians…(IsraelNN, 22 Nov 06)

Iraqi Parliament Speaker Escapes Car Bombing

…About 2 p.m., a small bomb exploded in one of the armored cars in Mahmoud al-Mashhadani's motorcade as it approached the convention center where parliament meets, said Lt. Col. Christopher C. Garver, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Iraq. Mashhadani was not in the car, and the driver survived.l..(Washington Post, 22 Nov 06)

Son of political dynasty earned his place in party

Pierre Gemayel was the fifth member of his family to die a violent death. With his boyish looks and often blunt comments, the 34-year-old Industry Minister was not taken seriously by some Lebanese politicians, who considered him the spoilt son of an influential dynasty…..(AP, 22 Nov 06)

Lebanon in mourning: Independence Day celebrations off
Country's 63rd Independence Day celebrations planned for Wednesday cancelled following murder of Minister Gemayel. Newspapers point accusing finger at Damascus: Culprit is same culprit, victim is same victim'…(YNet, 22 Nov 06)

Attacks in Lebanon Since the 1970s

Saudi Arabia's anti-terrorism campaign to target students

The Ministry of Interior is working on a comprehensive plan to make the younger generation adhere to the moderate stance of Islam and ward off extremist and deviant thoughts….(Gulf News, 22 Nov 06)

Over 880 terrorist plots foiled in Russia this year - interior minister

…Addressing a gathering of senior law-enforcement officials in the Kremlin, Rashid Nurgaliyev said this year had seen a 25% drop in the number of terrorist attacks - not least thanks to improved prevention - and that the perpetrators of 77 of 115 successful attacks had been tracked down and brought to justice….(RIA Novosti, 22 Nov 06)

Officials: Afghanistan Needs More Troops

…Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry told Pentagon reporters that U.S. officials will wait until after next week's NATO summit in Latvia to see how many troops other countries plan to provide before deciding if more U.S. forces must be sent to Afghanistan….(AP, 21 Nov 06)

Philippines says seizes lunch-box bombs in south

Philippine security forces seized several improvised bombs hidden inside thermos and lunch boxes in a hideout abandoned by Muslim militants on a remote southwestern island ….(Reuters, 21 Nov 06)

Pakistan urged to act over missing BBC reporter

…The journalist, Dilawar Khan Wazir, works for the BBC's Urdu-language service in the troubled tribal areas on the Afghan border, where security forces have been battling Islamist militants linked to al Qaeda and the Taliban….(Reuters, 21 Nov 06)

Lebanese Christian politician killed

Prominent anti-Syrian Christian politician Pierre Gemayel was assassinated in a suburb of Beirut on Tuesday, his Phalange Party radio station and Lebanon's official news agency reported….(AP, 21 Nov 06)

CHRONOLOGY-Recent political violence in Lebanon

Security Council OKs Hariri Tribunal

The brazen daytime assassination of Lebanon's industry minister should be added to the list of killings prosecuted by a tribunal of international and Lebanese judges just approved by the U.N. Security Council, the United States said…(AP, 22 Nov 06)

U.S. asks to reinstate key terror charge against alleged al-Qaida operative Padilla

Federal prosecutors have asked an appeals court to reinstate a key terrorism charge against alleged al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla, contending a judge erred in finding that it duplicated other counts in the same indictment. Padilla and two co-defendants are charged with being part of a North American support cell that provided money, supplies and recruits to Islamic extremists worldwide. Padilla, a U.S. citizen, was held for 3 years without charge as an ''enemy combatant,'' originally accused of plotting to detonate a radioactive ''dirty bomb'' in a U.S. city. The pleading filed with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals late Monday argues that the charge dismissed by U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke is a distinct offense in the case….(AP, 21 Nov 06)

100 fighters 'a month enter Iraq'

Up to 100 foreign fighters cross into Iraq from Syria every month, the US military said today, as Syria's foreign minister held talks with Iraqi leaders to pledge his country's help in tackling insurgents….(Reuters, 21 Nov 06)

Al-Qaeda’s number two in Yemen to be freed
Al-Qaeda’s number two man in Yemen is expected to be released within a month, despite the fact the Criminal Court of Appeals just supported the initial ruling that sentenced Mohammed Hamdi al-Ahdal Abu Assem to 37 months in jail, said Yemeni authorities. According to the judgment issued by Judge Sa’eed al-Qata’a, insufficient evidence was presented by the prosecution…(Yemen Observer, 21 Nov 06)

Colombia arrests correspondent for Venezuelan news channel on terrorism charges

…Fredy Munoz, a Colombian national, was taken into custody at the capital's airport after arriving on a flight from Caracas Sunday, said a statement by the Department of Administrative Security, or DAS, the Colombian equivalent of the FBI. The arrest warrant was issued by a prosecutor on Nov. 10 for charges of terrorism and rebellion relating to a series of bombings along the Caribbean coast in 2002…(AP, 21 Nov 06)

Colombia arrests TV reporter for terrorism

A correspondent for Telesur, the TV channel promoted by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, was arrested over the weekend on terrorism charges on suspicion he was involved in rebel attacks, Colombian police said on Monday….(Australian, 21 Nov 06)

Pakistan police arrest dozens of Taliban suspects

Pakistani police arrested more than two dozen suspected Taliban fighters on Tuesday in a raid on an Islamic school in the southwestern city of Quetta…(Reuters, 21 Nov 06)

Iran president says world is becoming 'Ahmadinejadised'

…"I have traveled to all the continents except for one and I know what is going on out there. Everybody is eager to hear the Iranian people's message," the reformist Aftab-Yazd newspaper quoted the president (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) as saying Tuesday. "The world is rapidly becoming Ahmadinejadised."…(Agence France-Presse, 21 Nov 06)

Iran Cleric Offers Reward for Azeri Writer's Death

An Iranian cleric has offered his house as a reward to anyone who kills an Azeri writer he says insulted the Prophet Mohammad, the Fars News Agency reported. Last week, an Azeri court jailed journalist Rafika Tagi, who wrote an article in Azerbaijan's Senet newspaper illustrated by cartoons of the Prophet…(Reuters, 21 Nov 06)

The differences between Sunni and Shia Islam

Iran's supremacy within the Shiite world began in the 16th century, with the establishment of the Safavid Dynasty, which founded an empire in the region. But the split between Sunni and Shia branches of Islam goes back much further….(The Star, 21 Nov 06)

Islamist Websites Monitor No. 23

….MEMRI, 21 Nov 06)

Female Shiite Assassination Groups Dispatched to Baghdad

…Sunni jihadi websites have warned their followers about this new threat, saying that these female units, called al-Zahra groups after Fatima al-Zahra, the daughter of the Prophet and the wife of the Muslim caliph Ali, are trained to kill Sunnis with bayonets and handguns equipped with silencers….(Global Terrorism Analysis, 21 Nov 06)

Imams Ousted From US Airplane

... A passenger raised concerns about the imams -- three of whom said their normal evening prayers in the airport terminal before boarding the Phoenix-bound plane, according to one -- through a note passed to a flight attendant, according to Andrea Rader, a spokeswoman for US Airways....(AP, 21 Nov 06)

Read Police Report [pdf]

Muslim scholar calls for airline boycott

.....Pat Hogan, spokesman for the Metropolitan Airports Commission, said that witnesses to Monday's events told police that before the flight that besides praying, the imams were spouting anti-American rhetoric, talking about the war in Iraq and Saddam Hussein. One of the imams was heard saying that he would do whatever is necessary to fulfill his commitment to the Qur'an, witnesses told police, Hogan said. Other witnesses said some of the imams were repeating "Allah, Allah," he said....(Star-Tribune, 21 Nov 06)

U.S. Muslims outraged after imams kicked off plane

Muslim leaders expressed outrage on Tuesday after six imams were removed from a commercial airline flight in Minnesota for what they said was nothing more than trying to say evening prayers.....(Reuters, 21 Nov 06)

More on the Six Traveling Imams

....It doesn't take much Googling, either, to find that Omar Shahin appears to have ties to terrorist-supporting groups. On July 13, 2005, Steven Emerson, Executive Director of the Investigative Project on Terrorism, testified before the Senate Banking Committee on investigations into the funding of terrorist groups. His testimony focused, in part, on an Islamic charity called "KindHearts for Charitable Humanitarian Development."......(Powerline, 21 Nov 06)

Our World: After the muses fall silent

.....This is the nature of our times. We are at war and those who warn of its dangers are being systematically silenced by our enemies who demand that nothing get in the way of our complacency with our own destruction.....(Jerusalem Post, 21 Nov 06)

Ahmadinejad is no Hitler

If you think Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad makes outlandish comments, consider what Mao Tse-tung said to a visiting head of state in 1954: "If someone else can drop an atomic bomb, then I can too. The death of 10 or 20 million people is nothing to be afraid of."....(Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov 06)

Decision to Delay Terrorists’ Execution ‘Not a Sign of Fear’

The decision to postpone the execution of three terrorists sentenced to death for their role in the 2002 Bali bombings which killed 202 people, has not been motivated by fear…(AKI, 21 Nov 06)

Manhattan: Second Man Charged in Terror Plan

…The man, Saleh Elahwal, 53, of Matawan, N.J., was charged in an 11-count indictment unsealed yesterday in Federal District Court. The indictment also charged another man, Javed Iqbal of Staten Island, who was arrested in August…(New York Times, 21 Nov 06)

2nd Man Charged in Terrorism TV Case

….(AP, 20 Nov 06)