The now infamous Koran burning by Florida pastor Terry Jones has created hysteria in the Muslim world. In Afghanistan alone, some twenty people, including U.N. workers, have been killed and beheaded to screams of “Allahu Akbar!” Western leaders around the globe—including Obama and members of Congress—have unequivocally condemned Jones’ actions (without bothering to point out that freedom of expression is a prized American liberty). Many are even blaming the deaths in Afghanistan directly on Jones; Bill O’Reilley says he has “blood on his hands.”
Yet, as Western leaders rush to profess their abhorrence at what one American did to one inanimate book, let’s take a quick look at what many Muslims are doing to many living and breathing Christians [and Hindus]coverage or Western condemnation: * Afghanistan: A Muslim convert to Christianity was seized and, according to sharia’s apostasy laws, awaits execution.
* Bangladesh: A Christian man was arrested for distributing Bibles near Muslims. Since Wednesday, thousands of Muslims have been rioting, injuring dozens—not because of Jones, but in protestation of women’s rights.
* Egypt: A Muslim mob burned down another Coptic church and dozens of Christian homes; when Christians protested, the military opened fire on them while crying “Allahu Akbar,” killing nine. Another mob cut a Christian man’s ear off “according to sharia.”
* Ethiopia: Muslims went on a rampage burning down nearly 70 churches, killing at least one Christian, and dislocating as many as 10,000. Christians living in Muslim majority regions are being warned to either convert to Islam, abandon their homes, or die.
* Malaysia: Authorities detained and desecrated thousands of Bibles.
* Pakistan: Two Christians were shot to death as they exited church; a Christian serving life in prison for “blasphemy” died in his cell under suspicions of murder.
* Saudi Arabia: An Eritrean Christian has been arrested for sharing his faith with Muslims and is facing the death penalty; other missionaries continue to languish in Saudi prisons.
* Somalia and Sudan: Christian girls—including a mother of four—were recently abducted, raped, and killed for embracing Christianity.
It should be borne in mind that none of these atrocities were performed in retaliation to Jones’ Koran burning; they’re just business as usual in the Muslim world. Moreover, the above list is but a quick and cursory sampling of the very latest in Christian suffering under Islam. Were one to include persecution from just a few months back, one could also mention the jihadist attack on a Baghdad church, killing 52 Christians; the New Year’s eve Coptic church explosion, killing 21; Muslim rampages that destroyed several churches in Indonesia, Nigeria, and the Philippines; Iran’s “round up” of some 70 home-worshipping Christians; and Kuwait’s—a nation that owes its very existence to U.S. war sacrifices—rejection to build a church.
Then there are the countless atrocities that never make it to any media—the stories of persistent, quiet misery that only the victims and local Christians know.
One would have thought that all this was at least equally deserving of media attention and Western condemnation as the burning of a Koran. This is especially so considering that, whereas only Jones is responsible for his actions, many of the aforementioned savageries—arresting and executing Christian missionaries and Muslim apostates, destroying or outlawing churches, seizing and desecrating not one but thousands of Bibles—are carried out at the hands of Muslim authorities and governments deemed U.S. “friends-and-allies.”
Such is the surreal and increasingly irrational world we live in, where irate Muslims and groveling Westerners obsess over the destruction of one book while ignoring the destruction of many human lives; where a guaranteed and hard-earned American right—freedom of expression—receives a lot of condemnatory huffing and puffing from those charged with protecting it, while murderous, barbarous—in a word, evil—behavior is devoutly ignored
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dan Friedman
Date: Mon, Apr 18, 2011 at 4:51 PM
Nobody knows more about the destructive triumphalism of Islam than the Hindus.
Dan Friedman
NYC
FANATIC MOHAMMEDAN BURNED SACRED HINDU SCRIPTURES IN BANGLADESH
http://hinduexistence.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/mohammedan-fanatics-burned-sacred-hindu-scripture-srimad-bhagabad-gita/
Mohammedan fanatics burned sacred Hindu scripture “Srimad Bhagabad Gita” after destroying 555 yrs old Hindu temple complex in Islamic Republic of Bangladesh.
Posted by hinduexistence on April 13, 2011
http://hinduexistence.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/press-conference.jpg
Srimad Bhagavad Gita burned, Srivas Angan destructed and partially grabbed by Islamists in Bangladesh.
http://hinduexistence.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/destucted-srivas-angan.jpgIn the series attack upon the Hindu Temples in Bangladesh in recent months, aiming to frighten the minority Hindus there and to grab the Hindu temple properties within a so called secular regime of Awami League Govt. headed by Sheikh Hasina, latest feed back came to us about a total resentment of the retaliating Hindus in the nefarious design of burning of “Srimad Bhagabad Gita” in the temple complex of Sribas Angan in the vicinity of Beyani Bazar of Sylhet district. Before this culpable act the Islamist perpetrators destroyed the ancestral deities of this “Sree Sree Lakshmi Narayan”, “Lord Shiva” and “Radha Madhav Jiu” of Achray Sribas Swami, a great Sanskrit scholar ever and the champion companion of Sree Sree Chaitanya Mahaprabhu(1486–1534), a great spiritual leader in India for his Bhakti Movement.
http://hinduexistence.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/srimad-bhagabad-gita-was-burned.jpgThe ancestral complex Sribas Acharya is considered as a heritage monument and famous Tirtha Khestra (pilgrimage resort) for Hindus comprising with very old “Sree Sree Lakshmi Narayan Mandir”, “Pancha Tattva Mandir”, and “Siva Mandir” was destroyed by the local Mohammedan land grabbers and perpetrators.
On 02.04.11, morning at about 10.00 am in broad day light, local influential perpetrators and land grabbers backed by ruling parties burned at least ten copies of Sreemad Bhagbad Gita with many religious books in front of local people after rampaging the whole pilgrimage complex to ensure a Islamic capture over a Hindu rights upon a temple property(Devottar sampatti). The fanatic Mohammedans successfully tried to destroy the relics of famous library building of Srivas Swami where a good collection of Hindu classic literatures and scriptures were the main attraction for the erudite students of the Master Srivas, across eastern India. It is believed that Srivas Swami started here an indigenous block print method (printing press) to copy old Sanskrit Texts. For a very unfortunate fate of the Hindus in Bangladesh all these historical and religious monuments have almost been perished into the Islamic aggression and the Government negligence.
After the traumatic burning of Sreemad Bhagbad Gita and other religious books and the rampant rampage of deities and temple properties, the area of incident of Khasa Pandit Para, Beyani Bazar, Sylhet (the old historic SRIHATTA), tension raised a level of retaliation and the aggrieved Hindu locals lodged a FIR in Biyani Bazar Police Station vide no. 03/02-04-2011, u/s 143/448/294/323/379/380/506. It has come to know that one Janab Dipu Sheikh and his gang have been operating to encroach the entire five bigha (1.65 acre) of this temple property. The Muslim attackers tried to murder Sri Siddha Gaur Das Brahmachari the monk-in-charge of the temple premises and throw away all the broken deties into a nearby pond after rampaging abruptly. The perpetrators also snatched away the donation box of the main temple. Janab Dipu Sheikh maintains his political connection with Awami League and Jamat e Islami – Bangladesh, both hand in hand. Dipu has open criminal connection with Islamist to run his persecution program upon minority Hindu women, Hindu shopkeepers, general Hindu minorities and Hindu land grabbing. One Sabul Ali of Dipu’s gange physically assaulted Siddha Gaur Das Brahmachari and attempted to murder this monk-in-charge. The political affiliation vested in Dipu’s group made them a terror to the Hindu locals.
In a protest the Math Mandir O Devottar Sampatti Raksha Samity (MMDSRS) of 79 Swamibag Road, Dhaka -1100, held an urgent press conference on 12th April 2011 at 11 am in the Dhaka Reporters’ unit, VIP Lounge, Segun Bagicha, Dhaka to draw the attention of all concerned to protect the growing torture upon Bangladeshi Hindus along with their temples, landed properties, business, women folk and even animals possessed by them.
In a very anguished PRESS statement by MMDSRS, its convener Satya Ranjan Barai conveyed that the paramount cry of the Bangladeshi Minority Hindus do not touch even any civil society of Bangladesh, which denotes its fake secularist attitude to the damn apathy to a Hindu persecution and ethnic cleansing. Prominent Hindu activists present there demanded immediate arrest and punishments of the Muslim perpetrators caused a hell and burning of Srimad Bhagavad Gita in Srivas Angan.
In the press note MMDSRS accused the present Enemy Property Act and its Amendments, which fueled all the Muslims to grab all Hindu properties as Muslims consider Hindus as enemies. And this is the stand point of a so called liberal Govt in Bangladesh.
In the press statement, convener of MMDSRS pointed out in the recent past, the 200 yrs old Radha Govinda Jiu Temple at 222 Lal Mohan Saha Street, Sutrapur, Dhaka is under the Islamic scanner to grab it. Land Mafia Hazi Islam Uddin, Hazi Afjal Hossian and local Awami League President of 77 no ward, Hazi Abul Hossian Abul clubbed together to occupy the temple forcefully. Their men have been threatening the temple authorities as Hindus must close all Muth (resident of monastic orders) and Mandirs (temple) to ease the land grabbing by these Muslim Land mafias in BD. (vide GD no. 1841 dt 28-03-2011 of Ramna Model P.S.).
In another incident, Abul Hossain Abul threatened the opposition Hindus, ” If you people do not leave your temples and religious institutions, we will not allow any kaffir Hindus to stay here peacefully. Any kind of Hindu protest will be stopped with a severe communal riot” with in very office of Addl. Police Superintendent, City SB, Dhaka. No authority could resist a venomous Abul Hossian for a while. (vide GD no. 1556 de 28-03-2011 of Sutrapur P.S.)
In Rampura area of Dhaka, where 220-225 Hindu families reside, one Rajauk Ali encroached 75% land of a Hindu crematorium beside the “Sree Sree Gouranga Maha Pravu Mandir”, Now Rajauk is trying to occupy the lone Hindu temple of this area, for which Hindus are determined to fight Land Grabbing Jehad in Bangladesh. It is also reported that the Awami League MP Jajid Malik has destroyed one temple in Urkiya, 2 km away from Manikganj town to vacate a Hindu possession of Golak Mondal and Sarat Mondal for a proposed hospital there. In the name of so called development, hospitals, cattle houses, slaughter houses, multi storied buildings; the Hindus properties are being snatched, even not giving a minimum price.
Pointing out an overwhelming discrimination to Hindus, it is told that when a Madrasha educated teacher gets his salary in a regular scale, then a Sanskrit scholar gets an honorarium of only Taka 120/- pm. As the Muslims claim their superiority in BD, Hindus there are treated as III class citizen. These Hindus also fought a brave fight and got tremendous torture from Pak platoons at the time of struggle of Free Bangladesh. The Math Mandir O Devottar Sampatti Raksha Samity has a plan to protest and hunger strike all over the Hindu pockets in BD. ISKCON Bangladesh is very much aggrieved as the maximum attacks are held in the Vaisnavite Goudiya Temples.
On behalf of MMDSRS, Pinaki Das, a Hind activist of BD forwarded a mail demanding justice in favour of BD Hindus as : ”WE DEMAND PROPER PUNISHMENT TO OUR GOVERNMENT. PLEASE HELP US AND CREATE PRESSURE TO THEM FOR INITIATING PROPER STEPS.
WE NEED FOREIGN ASSISTANCE FOR DEMANDING JUSTICE AND PLEASE SAVE THE HINDU TEMPLE LANDS WHICH HAVE ALREADY BEEN GRABBED BY THE ISLAMIC PERPETRATORS.”
See Press Release : In ISKCON BD face book.
FHRS does not share the opinions posted by group members. FHRS fosters academic career development for young intellectuals.
KRUNVANTO VISHVAMARYAM!
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Before the Intifada and terrorist murders, there were not checkpoints. They serve a purpose. Aggie
Why Are There Checkpoints? NY Times Op-Ed Says They Are to Humiliate Arabs!
BY ELDAD TZIONI
POSTED ON MARCH 31 2011 9:13 PM
Eldad Tzioni has blogged as The Elder of Ziyon since 2004.
Everyone supposedly knows that Israeli checkpoints are perhaps the most evil structures on the planet. And since this is so well known, it seems like the New York Times had no problem publishing an op-ed on Thursday that describes exactly how terrible they are.
Written by two pro-Palestinian activists, Katia and Alain Salomon, the article describes their adventure as they voluntarily decided to go through the Israeli checkpoint at Kalandia.
We had no trouble reaching Ramallah from Jerusalem by public transportation. But we had problems on our return trip. We reached the Kalandia checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem on Friday, March 11, at 9:30 in the morning. We chose to get off the bus with everyone else, even though as foreigners we could have stayed on.
We were stunned by what we saw: dwarfing cement structures, barbedwire, cameras. As we lined up we could see an Israeli woman soldier inside a multifaceted concrete blockhouse, peering out at us. Ahead of us there was a tunnel of bars just wide enough for one person. At its end a turnstile was blocked electronically from somewhere.
…After that narrow corridor we stepped into a small area, again in front of a metal turnstile. Many of us were wet, as it had rained in the morning, and it was cold. There were not that many people waiting but only one or two people were let through every 10 minutes or so.
At 12:10 it was finally our turn. We could see the people controlling the turnstile. There were several young Israeli soldiers inside. They seemed to be having a very good time, laughing, horsing around, like all youths. We want to believe that they had no clue as to the moral and physical suffering they were inflicting with their very slow control process.
Is it slower than waiting in lines at an airport? Or to get into a baseball game? Or the lines for popular rides in Disney World, where, if memory serves, those waiting in line have no benches either? Hard to tell from this article.
But we do see something that the authors write that reveals exactly where their biases lie:
We are Jewish, and began to weep. How was it possible that our own people, who have gone through such suffering, can inflict this ordeal, intended to humiliate and intimidate another people?
Yes,the Salomons are saying–and the New York Times editors have no problem publishing–that Israel built these elaborate checkpoints specifically to humiliate and intimidate Palestinian Arabs.
As Jews, of course, they are most sensitive to the suffering of the Palestinian Arabs who must go through the checkpoint. Somehow their minds are eluded by this simple fact: Even if there was a Palestinian state, there would still be similar checkpoints between “Palestine” and Israel–because it would be a border crossing!
In fact, the only time the checkpoints didn’t exist was before Oslo, before the PA was created, when Palestinian Arabs could freely travel into Israel. These checkpoints were built as a response to the terror war that accompanied the Oslo “peace process.” Yet the Salomons cannot bring themselves to mention the words “suicide bombing” or “terrorism” in their article. No, to them, Israeli didn’t build the checkpoints for security–they built them for humiliation.
In fact, the authors simply declare that the checkpoints serve no real security purpose!
One can easily imagine the feelings of resentment that are born from this experience. This treatment is unwarranted from the perspective of legitimate security imperatives; it is degrading and inhumane and not understandable coming from a nation that wants to be perceived as democratic, a nation among nations.
The Salomons emphasize that they are Jewish in order to find reasons to insult the Jewish state. Instead of researching the reasons why Kalandia was designed as it was, they ascribe evil intent to Israel and insist–without any background in physical security as far as I can tell–that these measures are unnecessary.
Of course, there have been cases of stabbings, pipe bombs and other attacks at checkpoints, all of which explain the why the IDF installs cameras, narrow corridors, and iron bars.
What is the reality of the Kalandia checkpoint?
Here’s a photo:
An email correspondent who has worked for the IDF at a checkpoint says:
I served in the area for months, been to the checkpoint itself a few times and the article is BS. Sure, at certain days there are holdups, but usually the traffic is going just fine–both pedestrian and vehicular. Cases where one person goes through every few minutes are very rare and are usually a result of some kind of brawl the Palestinians started with soldiers. When I served there, our batcom received reports of a fight breaking out with the locals at least one or twice a week. The MPs got it particularly hard, as they were the ones in directcontact with the populations. The guys–and the girls–often got hit, spat on and abused in various ways. That is not to say this is an every day occurence, but it happens. The gals there got to use theirpepper sprays quite often.
But this is the testimony of one of those evil Israeli soldiers. Obviously, to the proud-to-be-Jewish Salomons, the testimony of a soldier for the army of the Jewish state is worthless. So here is what another witness told me–from the perspective of a civilian who has to pass through:
I used to visit a friend in Ramallah regularly, and I generally crossed Qalandiya with the pedestrians — in part because I had read all these stories from Western activists breathlessly describing the experience with barely concealed horror and wanted to see for myself. (Also, chatting with the locals is always more fun than staying on the bus.) And… it was always completely boring and uneventful. Especially on Fridays, when there was often no one else crossing with me. Stories like this Times op-ed seem completely bizarre to me.
Actually, the first time I visited Ramallah, I had to walk through because I missed the bus and had to take a service taxi. I started walking up to the vehicle check point and got yelled at by a guard sitting in a watch tower. Fair enough. He pointed me to the pedestrian checkpoint, where I put my stuff in the metal detector and walked up to the plexiglass window with two young soldiers, one of whom said something to me in Arabic through the speaker. I told them I didn’t understand, while the fashionably dressed woman in a headscarf behind me furiously tried to explain what they wanted through hand motions. Eventually the soldier switched to Hebrew and asked me to hold up my passport, and then the page with my visastamp. Then one of them, smiling, asked where I was from. I said California, and the other soldier pulled down the intercom and started crooning “Hotel California” across the whole checkpoint.
All considered, the experience was really underwhelming — much less intrusive than customs in most countries, or even airportsecurity when you’re leaving Ben Gurion.
It is a shame that so many Jews like the Salomons don’t give their co-religionists the same benefit of the doubt that they give Arabs. Checkpoints are specifically designed to stop suicide bombers, shooters, people smuggling in pipe bombs, and people with knives who want to attack the first Israeli they see including the guards. Unlike what these Israel-bashers who love to say they are Jewish claim, there are legitimate reasons for every decision made when designing Kalandia–all one has to do is spend a little time researching it.
But it is so much easier to walk through a checkpoint, once, and write an article about how they aren’t necessary than to actually spend the time to ask the questions that could reveal the answers.
The real question is, why is it that whenever one of these bleeding hearts mentions that they are Jewish, it is in order to denigrate the Jewish state?
The Salomons should be ashamed that they can only find it in their “Jewish” hearts to give the Arabs the benefit of the doubt–but not their fellow Jews.
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