'America at a Crossroads'

PBS Special Premiering April 15-20, 2007

Turkey, Pakistan public oppose bigger Islam role

Turkey and Pakistan, two influential Muslim states, have seen massive public demonstrations in recent days in which huge crowds protested that Islam was playing too big a role in public affairs. In Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, an estimated 100,000 people took to the streets Sunday to protest plans by an influential mosque to run a "Taliban-style" anti-vice campaign in the capital city of Islamabad. A day earlier, some 500,000 Turks staged a rally in Ankara urging Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a former Islamist and head of the moderate Muslim ruling party, not to run for president, traditionally a secular and nonpartisan post…..(Washington Times, 19 Apr 07)

West weak, Muslims mute when it comes to Islamism and terrorism

Both Western and Muslim communities tend to understate, if not hide, the strong link that exists between Islamism and terrorism. This is demonstrated by the lukewarm reactions to the killings of Christians in Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan and the indifference and silence with regard to the massacres between Sunnis and Shias in Iraq…On the other hand, Western intellectuals who fight for human rights do not dare to criticize Shariah and all that is inhumane in it. They instead try to find socio-political excuses to justify it.…..(Asia News, 19 Apr 07)

Iran exonerates six who killed in Islam's name

The Iranian Supreme Court has overturned the murder convictions of six members of a prestigious state militia who killed five people they considered "morally corrupt."…According to the Supreme Court's earlier decision, the killers, who are members of the Basiji Force, volunteer vigilantes favored by the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, considered their victims morally corrupt and, according to Islamic teachings and Iran's Islamic penal code, their blood could therefore be shed. The last victims, for example, were a young couple engaged to be married who the killers claimed were walking together in public….(International Herald Tribune, 19 Apr 07)

In Indonesian Tug of War, Radical Islam Thrives on Democracy and Despair

…Those most feeling the pain and pressure of militant Islam’s rise have been moderate Muslims, many of them horrified by the tactics and goals of their fundamentalist brethren. It is these moderates who are potentially the Western world’s strongest allies in the struggle to contain the radicals. One of the great stages for this struggle is Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country and home to about 210 million Muslims, more than any other nation’s. This is the fascinating subject of “Struggle for the Soul of Islam: Inside Indonesia,” part of the “America at a Crossroads” series being shown this week on PBS….(New York Times, 19 Apr 07)

More on Muslims Forcing Christian Assyrians in Baghdad to Pay 'Protection Tax'

On 3-18-2007 AINA reported that Muslims were forcing the Christian Assyrians in the Dora Neighborhood of Baghdad to Pay the jizya, the 'Protection Tax' demanded from Christians and Jews by Islamic law…..(AINA, 19 Apr 07)

Leading Shi'ite Religious Authority Ayatollah Montazeri Expresses Sharp Criticism of Ahmadinejad

In an April 16, 2007 e-mail interview with the reformist website Rooz, Iranian Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, who was once the successor to Ayatollah Khomeini, aimed harsh criticism at the Iranian regime under Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and at the policies of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad…..(MEMRI, 19 Apr 07)

Hizbullah Deputy Sec-Gen Sheikh Naim Qassem: We Have Jurisprudent Permission to Carry Out 'Martyrdom' Operations, Fire Missiles on Israeli Civilians From Ayatollah Khomeini

The following are excerpts from an interview with Hizbullah Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem, which aired on Al-Kawthar TV on April 16, 2007…"Martyrdom is Valuable, Sacred, Respectable, and Great - Not Something That Can Be Used as an Accusation; It is an Honor For Us to Be Accused of Believing in the Culture of Martyrdom"…(MEMRI, 19 Apr 07)

Turkey Detains More in Bible Attack

…The arrests brought to 10 the number of suspects in custody, all people in their late teens or early 20s, said Halil Ibrahim Dasoz, governor of Malatya, the city in central Turkey where the killings took place. Malatya is known as hotbed of Turkish nationalism and as the hometown of Mehmet Ali Agca, the gunman who tried to assassinate Pope John Paul II in 1981…..(AP, 19 Apr 07)

Political madrassas creating ‘irregular’ militia: Benazir

…In a statement released by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), she said the “irregular militia” of the madrassa could confront law enforcement agencies “unless the matter is nipped in the bud”. She expressed concern over the rise of vigilante groups terrorizing professionals in universities and shops….(Daily Times, 19 Apr 07)

Ohio banning terror links in its investment portfolio

Columbus- Ohio's treasurer is instituting one of the first policies in the nation to ban state investments with any connection to terrorist groups, bringing the $12 billion state portfolio into line with federal anti-terror guidelines….(AP, 19 Apr 07)

Firm to Mine Databases for National Security Threats

A Reston company funded by an arm of the CIA will be working with the FBI and several intelligence agencies to mine databases for hidden clues about people who might turn out to be threats to national security…..(Washington Post, 19 Apr 07)

London terror suspect tells how he was asked to be a suicide bomber

…Ghanaian-born Manfo Kwaku Asiedu told Woolwich Crown Court he collapsed in tears after one of his co-accused, Muktar Said Ibrahim, demonstrated what would happen when he detonated his backpack bomb. Asiedu, who prosecutors say dumped his device after losing his nerve at the last minute, said he was terrified after realizing what he was involved in…..(AP, 19 Apr 07)

Ex-Houstonian linked to al-Qaida pleads guilty

Former Houston resident Daniel Joseph Maldonado pleaded guilty today to participating in an al-Qaida training camp in East Africa…Maldonado, 28, was the first American charged in connection with an attempt to establish an extremist Islamic state in Somalia. He also used the name Daniel Aljughaifi….(Houston Chronicle, 19 Apr 07)

German minister sparks row over anti-terror measures

Terror suspects should not be presumed innocent until proven guilty, Germany's interior minister said on Thursday, sparking controversy over the extent of new anti-terrorism laws in the liberal country. The comments by Wolfgang Schaeuble have stirred a debate in Germany where the post-war constitution is seen as enshrining citizens' liberty and protecting them from the state persecution which occurred under the Nazi and Communist regimes….(Reuters, 19 Apr 07)

Suicide blast hits grieving Baghdad

…But violence did not abate Thursday, as a suicide bomber exploded in another mostly Shiite district, killing at least 11 people and wounding 28, police said. The car bomb exploded next to a fuel tanker in Karradah, setting fire to the truck. The death toll was expected to rise. Many of the more than 230 Iraqis killed or found dead nationwide a day earlier were buried in quiet ceremonies before Thursday’s noon prayer….(AP, 19 Apr 07)

Bombers Defy Security Push, Killing at Least 158 in Baghdad

…The attacks followed brazen bombings that demonstrated the insurgents' ability to circumvent the U.S. and Iraqi security plan for Baghdad, and renewed fears of reprisal killings by Shiites. Last Thursday, a truck bomb collapsed a popular bridge over the Tigris River and a suicide bomber penetrated the fortress-like Green Zone, blowing himself up inside the parliament cafeteria, killing one lawmaker….(Washington Post, 19 Apr 07)

Bomber kills 10, Iraqis vent anger

A suicide car bomber killed 10 people in Baghdad on Thursday, a day after militants killed almost 200 in the capital's bloodiest day since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, despite a security crackdown…..(Reuters, 19 Apr 07)

Somalia Bombing Blamed on Al-Qaeda

… Deputy Defense Minister Salad Ali Jelle blamed the suicide car bombing on al-Qaida elements and said no troops had been killed or wounded. Hundreds of Ethiopian soldiers live at the base, which is surrounded by a low wall and has an un-gated entrance.…(AP, 19 Apr 07)

Saudis Arrest 8 in Frenchmen's Deaths

Saudi security officials have arrested eight Saudi men suspected of involvement in the February killing of four French nationals, an Interior Ministry statement said Wednesday…The statement also said an investigation revealed that Waleed bin Mutlaq al-Radadi _ among the kingdom's most wanted terrorists _ was the mastermind and one of the triggermen in the shooting. Al-Radadi was killed on April 6 in a gunbattle with Saudi forces…..(AP, 19 Apr 07)

Thai army chief rejects U.S. offer to help quell Islamic insurgency in the south

Thailand's powerful army chief on Thursday rejected an American offer to help quell an Islamic insurgency in the country's restive south, saying his forces can cope with the situation that has claimed more than 2,000 lives in three years. He said Thailand would nonetheless appreciate access to U.S. intelligence….(AP, 19 Apr 07)

Pakistan-Bangladesh to Cooperate in Combating Terrorism

… At the inaugural session of a 2-day seminar held at a local hotel here, speakers were of the view there is no alternative to combined role of Bangladesh and Pakistan in promoting regional stability and cooperation for better future of the region….(Pakistan Times, 19 pr 07)

Norway proposes 30-year sentence for terrorism

Norway's Justice Ministry on Tuesday presented a Bill to Parliament that would increase the sentence for acts of terrorism from the present 21 years in prison to 30, the Ministry said in a statement. A 30-year sentence would be the lengthiest in the Norwegian justice system…..(Agence France-Presse, 19 Apr 07)

China jails Uighur-Canadian "terrorist" for life

…The Intermediate People's Court in Urumqi, capital of the tense northwestern region of Xinjiang, convicted Huseyin Celil, 37, of "terrorist activities and plotting to split the country," Xinhua news agency reported, the second ethnic Uighur activist jailed in China this week. China accuses Uighur militants of using violence in their struggle to set up an independent East Turkestan state in predominantly Muslim Xinjiang, which borders Pakistan, Afghanistan and restive Central Asian states…..(Reuters, 19 Apr 07)

Al-Qaida Chief Appointed Minister of War

A Sunni insurgent coalition posted Web videos on Thursday naming the head of al-Qaida in Iraq as "minister of war" and showing the execution of 20 men it said were members of the Iraqi military and security forces. The announcement unveiling an "Islamic Cabinet" for Iraq appeared to have multiple aims. One was to present the Islamic State of Iraq coalition as a "legitimate" alternative to the U.S.-backed, Shiite-led administration of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki _ and to demonstrate that it was growing in power despite the U.S. military push against insurgents. It also likely sought to establish the coalition's dominance among insurgents after an embarrassing public dispute with other Iraqi Sunni militants…..(AP, 19 Apr 07)

Islamic Fanatics Beat Journo in Canada
A journalist for the Mississauga, Ont.-based newspaper The Pakistan Post was assaulted by two men, one armed with a cricket bat, who warned him to stop "writing against Islam" and a Pakistan-based religious organization, the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) reported Thursday…..(E and P, 19 Apr 07)

Officials: $5 million ransom demand for BBC reporter

Kidnapped BBC reporter Alan Johnston is believed to be alive and held by a Palestinian clan in the Gaza Strip demanding a $5 million ransom, according to senior Palestinian security officials speaking to WND….(World Net Daily, 19 Apr 07)

Slovenian Intelligence Confirms Kosovo Link to Sandzak Arrests

…The March 17, 2007 Serbian police operation against a suspected Islamic extremist mountain training camp near Novi Pazar, which yielded weapons, ammunition and assorted paraphernalia, has inspired unprecedented interest in the phenomenon of Wahhabi extremism in this forgotten area of western Serbia in the international media…..(Balkan Analysis, 19 Apr 07)

Boost in Iran's Capacity To Enrich Uranium Noted

Iran has doubled its capacity to enrich uranium in the past two months but remains far from the technological know-how the Bush administration fears and the capabilities that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently claimed, according to an official letter written by a senior U.N. nuclear inspector yesterday…..(Washington Post, 19 Apr 07)

7 Hostages Beheaded in Philippines

The heads of seven men believed to have been kidnapped by the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group on a volatile southern island were delivered to a Philippine army detachment Thursday…The men _ six road project workers and a dried-fish factory worker _ were kidnapped at gunpoint in two separate incidents Monday near the town of Parang on Jolo island, where U.S. troops have been involved in counterterrorism training and campaigns to draw local support away from Muslim rebels…..(AP, 19 Apr 07)

Christians in Turkey Fear More Attacks

…Christian leaders said they worried that nationalists were stoking hostilities against non-Turks and non-Muslims by exploiting growing uncertainty over Turkey's place in the world….(AP, 19 Apr 07)

Terror Group Posts Execution Video

Al-Qaida-led Iraqi insurgents issued a video Thursday purporting to show the killing of 20 kidnapped Iraqi police and soldiers, shot in the head execution-style as they knelt in a row. The video showed a masked gunman walking down the row of captives, who were blindfolded with hands bound behind their backs outdoors in a clearing near trees. He shot them one by one, sending each tumbling forward as three other masked militants stood nearby, holding a black banner of the Islamic State of Iraq….(AP, 19 Apr 07)

Taliban attack civilians to spread fear: Amnesty

Taliban insurgents are deliberately targeting Afghan civilians in order to instill fear and exert control over the population, the rights group Amnesty International said on Thursday…..(Reuters, 19 Apr 07)

North Korea Storms Out of Economic Talks

North Korea's chief envoy stormed out of economic talks with South Korea on Thursday after the South urged its neighbor to honor its nuclear disarmament pledge…..(AP, 19 Apr 07)

Hezbollah refuses to comment to UN on Hariri court

Lebanon's leading opposition party Hezbollah will not give to a UN envoy proposed changes it wants made to a court to try suspects in the murder of former premier Rafiq Hariri….(Agence France-Presse, 19 Apr 07)

Iraq plans to control whole nation by end 2007: Maliki

Iraq plans to take security control of the whole country from foreign forces by the end of the year, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Wednesday after British forces handed over control of a southern province...In a speech delivered on his behalf by National Security Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie at a ceremony marking the handover of Maysan province from British forces to Iraqi control, Maliki said three provinces in the autonomous Kurdistan region would follow next.….(Reuters, 18 Apr 07)

Sadrist pullout draws mixed reaction

The withdrawal of the Sadrist bloc's six ministers from the Iraqi government earlier this week has drawn mixed reactions from the region's media. A number of Iraqi papers have welcomed the move, saying it gives Prime Minister Nouri Maliki a stronger hand in allocating ministries. But elsewhere commentators see the move as a setback for the political process in Iraq, and there is speculation about Iran's role in the development. Iranian papers meanwhile predict that the decision will prove troublesome for the US…..(BBC, 18 Apr 07)

A New Threat In Iraq

While the Bush administration struggles to stabilize Baghdad, a major new threat is emerging in the Kurdish areas of northern Iraq…The core issue is Kurdish nationalism, which worries Iraq's powerful northern neighbor, Turkey, which has a substantial Kurdish minority. The Bush administration has tried to finesse the problem, hoping to keep two friends happy: The Kurds have been America's most reliable partner in Iraq, while the Turks are a crucial ally in the region. But in recent weeks, this strategy has been breaking down….(Washington Post, 18 Apr 07)

Olmert: Israel Can't Meet Inmate Demand

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told a parliamentary committee Wednesday the list of prisoners the Palestinians want freed in exchange for a captured Israeli soldier "creates expectations we cannot meet," a meeting participant said…..(AP, 18 Apr 07)

National anti-terrorism demonstrations held in Algeria

Algerians held marches and rallies across the country on Tuesday to condemn terrorism and to express their support for national reconciliation initiated by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, six days after the two car bomb attacks which occurred in the Algerian capital last week……(Xinhua, 18 Apr 07)

Teacher thought youth was Muslim

Recalling a student's paper on the bloody Crusades for the Holy Land has given the teacher who assigned it pause 26 years later. The paper's author, Christopher Paul, is now accused of training al-Qaida terrorists….(Columbus Dispatch, 18 Apr 07)

Witness IDs in Taylor Trial to Be Secret

The identity of most witnesses who testify against Charles Taylor at his war crimes trial will be kept secret and some may have to move to new homes to escape retribution from the former Liberian president's supporters, the lead prosecutor said Wednesday….(AP, 18 Apr 07)

Baghdad death toll skyrockets to at least 157

Four large bombs exploded in mostly Shiite areas of Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 157 people and wounding scores as violence climbed toward levels seen before the U.S.-Iraqi campaign to pacify the capital began two months ago. In the deadliest of the attacks, a parked car bomb detonated in a crowd of workers at the Sadriyah market in central Baghdad, killing at least 112 people and wounding 115….(AP, 18 Apr 07)

85 killed or found dead across Iraq

Police in Ramadi uncovered 17 decomposing corpses buried beneath two schoolyards in a district that until recently was under the control of al-Qaida fighters. At least 85 people were killed or found dead across the country Tuesday…..(AP, 18 Apr 07)

Nigerian Fundamentalist Group Kills 12 Police Officers in North

A raid by a fundamentalist religious group killed 12 police officers in this northern Nigerian city Tuesday morning, adding to the high tensions of an election season in which scores have been reported killed…..(Washington Post, 18 Apr 07)

Terror suspect wins chance to stay in Canada

…The decision is another setback for the government as the courts take an increasingly dim view of anti-terrorism regulations established after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Issam al Yamani, 51, a Palestinian man who has lived in the Toronto area since arriving from Lebanon in 1985, was declared inadmissible to Canada because of his past membership in an outlawed terrorist group; he is fighting to stay here with his wife and two sons…..(National Post, 18 Apr 07)

Suspicious banking dealings hit record high

Reports from the banking sector on suspicious financial transactions reached an all:time high in 2006, the national money laundering office has revealed….(SwissInfo, 18 Apr 07)

"Rendition" man in custody in Pakistan: rights group

A Pakistani man whose family says was abducted as part of the U.S.-led war on terror is in custody in Pakistan after 18 months of secret detention, human rights group Amnesty International said. Khalid Rashid, who vanished after being arrested in South Africa as an illegal alien in 2005…(Reuters, 18 Apr 07)

U.S. Says Iranian Arms Seized in Afghanistan

A shipment of Iranian-made weapons bound for the Taliban was recently captured by allied forces in Afghanistan, the Pentagon’s top officer said Tuesday. It was the first time that a senior American official had asserted that Iranian-made weapons were being supplied to the Taliban….(New York Times, 18 Apr 07)

In accordance with Islamic war jurisprudence, Ahmadinejad offers West conversion before Jihad

In language reminiscent of Al-Fatiha (the opening verses of the Quran and declaration of faith), “Guide us to the straight way, the way of those whom you (Allah) have blessed, not of those who have deserved your (Allah`s) anger, nor of those who stray (i.e., Jews and Christians)” [Quran 1:1 ], Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tells the West to follow the right path of monotheism (Islam being the only true monotheism from his perspective) or face death. According to Islamic tradition, it is customary for Muslim armies to invite the enemy to accept Islam in exchange of mercy…(Judeoscope, 18 Apr 07)

Three killed at Turkish publisher

Three people have been killed at a publishing house in Turkey that produced bibles, in an apparent attack on the country's Christian minority. The victims were discovered at the Zirve publishing house in the eastern city of Malatya. They were bound hand and foot and their throats had been slit….(BBC, 18 Apr 07)

Women at Forefront of "Talibanization" in Pakistan

Behind Abdul Aziz, the cleric who wants to enforce a strict Islamic code in the Pakistani capital, stands his wife Umm-e-Hassan, who is as fiery as he is…Umm-e-Hassan heads Jamia Hafsa, a religious school or madrasa for women affiliated with the Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, where her husband is chief cleric…..(Reuters, 18 Apr 07)

Iraqi Kurdistan Province President Mas'oud Al-Barazani Warns Turkey Not to Interfere Over Kirkuk, Declares: I Support The Rights Of The Palestinian People, But... I Am Against Driving Israel Into The Sea

The following are excerpts from an interview with Mas'oud Al-Barazani, president of the Iraqi Kurdistan province, which aired on Al-Arabiya TV on April 6, 2007….(MEMRI, 18 Apr 07)

Al-Qaida linked group moves to patch up rift among insurgent factions

The leader of Al-Qaida's umbrella group in Iraq tried to patch up rifts with other Sunni insurgent groups, urging militants in an audiotape released Tuesday to stop spilling each other's blood and unite in a common fight against the Americans and government. The moderate tone from Abu Omar al-Baghdadi toward his rivals suggested that the unusually public spat between factions of the insurgency was raising concern among top leaders….(AP, 18 Apr 07)

Hezbollah accuses parliament majority of creating U.S.-controlled Middle East

 Lebanon's Hezbollah group on Tuesday accused the Lebanese March 14 majority coalition of seeking to "normalize" relations with Israel and backing an alleged scheme to create a U.S.-controlled Middle East…..(Xinhua, 18 Apr 07)

Iraq denies Qaeda claim of slain police

Iraq's interior ministry on Tuesday firmly denied a claim by an Al-Qaeda-led militant group that it had kidnapped and killed 20 Iraqi policemen. "The 'Islamic State of Iraq' is claiming it kidnapped a number of police. We checked the report and we found out it was untrue…..(Agence France Press, 18 Apr 07)

Islamists: Germans will be kidnapped

Concerns are rising about the growing number of terror threats against Germany, formerly a country spared from Islamist violence… The kidnappers wanted to tell Berlin that "even if the two Germans are killed, Germans will always be targets for kidnappings all over the world until the German government pulls its troops out (of Afghanistan),"….(UPI, 18 Apr 07)

Taliban reject report they kill Afghan civilians

Afghanistan's Taliban rejected as totally baseless on Wednesday a report by a U.S.-based rights group that accused them of war crimes for targeting civilians. A Taliban spokesman, Zabullah Mujahid, said the report released this week by Human Rights Watch was disinformation and Western propaganda…..(Reuters, 18 Apr 07)

Analysis: Don't underestimate Syria's military

While the Knesset heard about potential scenarios for reaching peace with Damascus on Thursday, senior defense officials warned of an unprecedented military buildup in Syria and said that prevailing in a war with Israel's northeastern neighbor would not be as simple as some might have been led to believe….(Jerusalem Post, 18 Apr 07)

New Commander Sees Hope, Trouble in Iraq

Baghdad security has improved a bit, but the gains will be lost unless Iraqis find a way to bring minority Sunnis fully into the government, the new commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East said Wednesday….(AP, 18 Apr 07)

Turkey Turns up the Heat in Northern Iraq

Although a final decision has not yet been made in the Turkish capital of Ankara, preparations by the Turkish armed forces continue for a series of strikes against the northern Iraqi bases that hold an estimated 3,800 guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an internationally designated terrorist group. Anti-American public opinion is on the rise in Turkey…..(Global Terrorism Analysis, 17 Apr 07)

Afghanistan and Iraq: Two Sunni War Theaters Evolving Into One?

The lack of reliable metrics that can be used to measure progress or the lack thereof in the war on terrorism is a continuing problem. This is particularly the case when trying to assess what appears to be an evolving and common approach to the war against U.S.-led coalitions in Afghanistan and Iraq…..(Global Terrorism Analysis, 17 Apr 07)

Two Types of Splinter Groups Break from Moqtada al-Sadr

The recent rise of Sadrist splinter groups is a sign of a major shakeup in the Sadrist movement, so far mainly dominated by Moqtada al-Sadr. These splinter groups represent a deep-seated change in the Sadrist faction in both ideological and militaristic terms, which could have major implications for the future of Iraq. The increase in the number of these splinter groups since 2005 is mainly due to al-Sadr's growing relations with the Iraqi government and Tehran…..(Global Terrorism Analysis, 17 Apr 07)