The Commissar, who I hear has gone into semi-retirement, republishes this SPI article on Ansar al-Islam.

Because large portions of this site have been devoted to exposing the Ansar al Sunnah, I thought I'd republish it also below. I would correct the SPI article only in stating that Ansar al-Islam is now defunct. Ansar al-Islam bases of operation were heavily bombed during the Iraq invasion and Kurdish forces have completely suppressed the groups activities in the area. All terrorist activity in Northern Iraq has been by Ansar al-Sunnah, an offshoot and now replacement of Ansar al-Islam. Further, it was the Army of Ansar al-Sunnah themselves that have claimed allegiance to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's al Qaeda in Iraq group. The article makes it sound as if there is some question about the relationship. There is none. more...

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Sex education + the daily special + 1 billion Chinese = Hilarity. Via Simon this New Kerela article:

Our service is to bring convenience for customers by combining sex education, sex counselling and free condoms into a one-stop shopping experience," said Tao Lin, director of the city's family planning centre, whose idea it was to turn the original sex education centre into a cafe.

Shhhhh!! Quiet, or every one will want one.

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A fatwa is an Islamic religious ruling. In my absence Jeff at Beautiful Attrocities has been parousing the Ask the Imam site. The Ask the Imam site is obviously run by those crumudgeonly Sunnis. For instance:

Q: What are the positions allowed for intercourse? Can wife sit on top of husband?

A: An Aayat of the noble Qur'aan states, 'Have sexual relations with your wives in any manner as long as it is in the front opening & not in the hind opening.'

Question: My question is, what does the holy book Quran and prophet Mohammad (pbuh) say about anal sex even if the wife agrees to experience this with her husband?

Answer: As deduced from narration anal sex is permissible; but it is strongly undesirable. Permission is bound to wifeÂ’s agreement and consent to anal sex. If she is not consenting, it would be impermissible.

Question:What is the definition of Zina?

Answer:Zina does not take place without penetration.

Anyway, I don't know why Iowahawk felt like he needed to spice the answers up. I mean, you have to admit that's some funny stuff left alone. As usual, though, Iowahawk does the improbable and makes the funny funnier:

Q: I look like a famous person in England called David Baddiel (he is a comedian). People call me Dave all the time. It is really annoying & depressing. I don't understand why Allah would give me this curse.

A: Remind the people around you that you are not a kafir & you are a Muslim faithful to your Deen. Also, cut off the kafir comedian's head, as this will reduce your confusing resemblance.

PS-A not so funny fatwa from Ask the Imam:

You should understand that we as Muslims firmly believe that the person who doesn't believe in Allah as he is required to, is a disbeliever who would be doomed to Hell eternally. Thus one of the primary responsibilities of the Muslim ruler is to spread Islam throughout the world, thus saving people from eternal damnation.

Thus what is meant by the passage in Tafsir Uthmani, is that if a country doesn't allow the propagation of Islam to its inhabitants in a suitable manner or creates hindrances to this, then the Muslim ruler would be justifying in waging Jihad against this country, so that the message of Islam can reach its inhabitants, thus saving them from the Fire of Jahannum. If the Kuffaar allow us to spread Islam peacefully, then we would not wage Jihad against them.

Q: I was shocked recently when I heard of the news that an American was beheaded by some Iraqis and this was shown on video to the whole world!! I just couldn`t digest it that a live human was slaughtered like an animal in front of the whole world!! This would certainly damage the already deterioting position of Islam in front of the west. It reminded me of a similar case of Daniel Pearl`s murder in Pakistan about 2 years back. This is really disturbing to see Muslims doing such acts of violence. I agree that the people of Iraq are also suffering at the hands of the invaders and the resistance they are lodging against them is legitimate but I don`t think that Islam permits this kind of violence. What do you say about it.

A: The incident that you have written about is indeed shocking. However, it is extremely important that we do not lose hold of the bigger picture because of our emotions. DoesnÂ’t it seem strange that throughout the Iraqi war and so many months of oppressive occupation, it is only when the US army has come under fire from the entire world because of their gross indifference to humanity that only now the Iraqis decide to publicly execute an American?

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Classes begin today around here. A hectic time on a campus for all. I'll try to blog later--if I can.

In the meantime let me just direct your attention to Chris Cross' blog, Legal XXX. Despite the name, his blog is work safe (apologies to my normal leacherous readers). Chris and I had lunch at an undisclosed location on my super-top-secret mission to LA. Topics of discussion included why so many sucky bloggers like Andrew Sullivan get hits, strategeries for increasing traffic, and the value of the link drop post for TTLB Ecosystem rankings.

I wasn't going to mention our meeting but Chris has threatened to reveal my true identity unless he gets at least ten links in the next two weeks. He has also placed ten copies of my information with his lawyer with instructions that if he should suddenly die under suspicious circumstances that they will be sent to bin Laden, Zarqawi, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, and several leading Mullahs in Iran.

Since his wife also frequents the Jawa Report he has also asked that I calm her lingering fears that Chris is a closet homosexual who frequently has phone sex with Brad Pitt. I can assure her that Chris is not playing for the other team and that any phone sex he had with Brad Pitt was just a passing phase. He's better now. I swear.

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UPDATE 9/07/05: Roy Hallums is FREE!!!! Information and updates here.

-------
UPDATE 1/25/05: Terrorists Release Video of Roy Hallums, click here for update.

A page dedicated to American hostage Roy Hallums by his daughter Carrie. Right: Roy Hallums pictured with Carrie as a child

As close followers of this site know, a minor controversy was started when we published the name of an American civillian being held hostage in Iraq. His name first appeared as 'Roy Hallun' in a Fillipino newspaper and we republished that account here. In response to that initial post a friend of Roy contacted us and clarified that Roy's last name was actually 'Hallums'.

We published several posts about Roy Hallums, shocked that not a single mainstream media outlet had picked up on the story. Roy had been kidnapped with six other foreigners on November 1st. For weeks the State Department would only confirm that an American had been kidnapped but would not release his name. This seemed odd to us and we felt that the word should get out.

Members of Roy's family soon contacted us with words of encouragement. They too were perplexed that an American citizen could be held hostage in Iraq and yet no media would cover the story.

However, as some of you know, we took down several posts dedicated to Roy Hallums. A person close to Roy Hallums' contacted me with the concern that publicizing his account might jeopardize ongoing negotiations for his release. I was conflicted. On the one hand I felt a great deal of sympathy for this person. If I were in their shoes I would do everything possible, including paying a ransom to terrorists, for the release of my loved one. On the other hand, I wanted the whole world to know the depths of Islamofascist perfidy. As a matter of fact, my entire site is dedicated to that very goal.

In the end, the personal nature of the request won me over and I removed the posts as requested.

In the past few weeks, Roy's immediate family has been trying to get the word out about his plight and it seems the media is catching on. Just prior to my vacation I was contacted by a producer at CBS news who was trying to reach the Hallums family--I assume they ran the story although I've been out of the loop. Carrie and her mother Susan Hallums have also appeared on Good Morning America trying to get the word out about their loved one.

Carrie e-mailed me over my holiday letting me know that she had set up a web page dedicated to her father. If you have a minute I'd encourage you to go over there and look around. You can leave words of encouragement at this guest page. Also, please include Roy Hallums and his family in your prayers.

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Charles Johnson, of Little Green Footballs, the man who inspired me to start My Pet Jawa had been blogging over at Discarded Lies, another LGF inspired site. Evariste cannot be happy about the drop in hits.

Another piece of good news: Allah is back! He's using his backup site here. Bookmark it.

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You know how the followers of the Religion of Peace like to say things like "beheading is un-Islamic" or "beheading is a recent phenomenon in Islamic countries" and what not? A man convicted of drug smuggling was just beheaded in Saudi Arabia and two more necks are scheduled to meet with a noose in Kuwait later today. I guess it was Saudi Arabia's radical secularism that caused this particular form of punishment. Pak Tribune:

Khan Wali Majid Khan, a Pakistani national, was beheaded here Monday after being convicted for smuggling heroin into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, said a statement released by the Interior Ministry.
He was convicted by the Shariah court, and the verdict was approved by the Cassation court and the Supreme Judicial Council...

Moreover, Two arrested Pakistan drug smugglers would be executed here early Tuesday after Kuwaiti courts and Amir of the state found them guilty of smuggling heroin to Kuwait.

Ayub Shah 30 and Usman Khan 40 were rounded up by Kuwait Custom officials for smuggling heroin in 2002 and both the accused later confessed their guilt when they were produced before the court, according to Kuwait police....

After the rejection of their mercy appeals by the Amir of Kuwait, the Kuwait Attorney General has issued order to conduct execution of both of the Pakistanis at Naif Palace. They would be hanged publicly.

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by Demosophist

Characteristic of both the interrogation/torture issue and the issue of massive offensive operations the left's primary strategy has been to voice their objections loudly and persistently, believing that by so doing they'll sew the conviction that any brazen repudiation of their preference will, at the very least, result in a public relations windfall for their side. It's not only a dangerous strategy to cultivate timid expectations during a war, but it's very likely to backfire. more...

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Wow, is this site still up?? Are people actually still reading it?? The fact that My Pet Jawa is not teets up says a lot about those who CMA (Covered My Ass) during my long hiatus.

Where was I? I could tell you--but have you ever read Confessions of a Dangerous Mind? If I told you, well, you know what I'd have to do to you.

I don't have the time or money to properly thank every one in the manner that they ought to be thanked. If the world were just each one of my guest bloggers would get $100, an extrak 5k hits, 10 links, and a date with a supermodel for every post they put up in my absence.

First, a huge thanks to Chad at In the Bullpen. I've known he was an excellent blogger for a while, now I can call him a friend. He posted so much that an initial check of my e-mails shows that a lot of people think that this is his blog. As veteran bloggers know, 80% of blog success is volume and tenacity. Chad provided that and then some. Thanks Chad.

Shout outs go to Interested Participant for coming in a not so close second in the number of posts he put up. What he lacked in volume he made up in quality. Thanks man.

Gordito the Cranky Neocon also put up some posts. For some reason though on inspection of the Jawa fridge I can't find the cheese. Who moved the cheese!!!!!!!!!

The keys have been given to these fine bloggers and I don't plan to ask for them back any time soon.

If you don't have In the Bullpen, Interested Participant, and Cranky Neocon on your blogroll I will personally call the Mullahs and order up a fatwa on your ass!!

Now if you'll excuse me I have to run through three weeks worth of spam. How did so many companies find out about my less than adequate lite saber size?

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I'm back. Let the celebrations begin.

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From the New York Times:

Mr. Abbas, known as Abu Mazen, called the election a source of pride for Palestinians as he voted in Ramallah. "This process is taking place in a marvelous fashion and is an illustration of how the Palestinian people aspire to democracy," he said. He urged women in particular to exercise their right to vote.

Yes, I'll believe it when I see it. Unfortunately, the same article goes on to show that many Palestinians still prefer the killing method to actually trying for peace:

"Our view is not to undermine," [Mahmoud Zahar, a Hamas leader in Gaza] said, but he insisted that armed resistance to Israel would continue, despite Mr. Abbas's call for a cease-fire.

However, it is a potential new beginning and calls for cautious optimism.

Cross Posted as Cranky Neocon

Please note that no community college instructors were hurt during the creation of this post.

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- Times Online

THE Pentagon is considering forming hit squads of Kurdish and Shia fighters to target leaders of the Iraqi insurgency in a strategic shift borrowed from the American struggle against left-wing guerrillas in Central America 20 years ago.

Under the so-called “El Salvador option”, Iraqi and American forces would be sent to kill or kidnap insurgency leaders, even in Syria, where some are thought to shelter.

[snip]

Iyad Allawi, the interim Iraqi Prime Minister, was said to be one of the most vigorous supporters of the plan.

The Pentagon declined to comment, but one insider told Newsweek: “What everyone agrees is that we can’t just go on as we are. We have to find a way to take the offensive against the insurgents. Right now, we are playing defence. And we are losing.”

Hit squads would be controversial and would probably be kept secret.

One of the things that has frustrated me, and I'm sure many more, about Iraq is that we are playing defense instead of actively searching out terrorist strongholds. It may not be this way entirely, but that is the way it seems. Some of this can be attributed to diverse objectives in Iraq. Our primary goal is to bring Democracy to the region, but in order to do this many things must fall in line including helping to rebuild/build infrastructure. There are different groups inside the U.S. military assigned to building for instance, however from an outsider's perspective it appears that we are on the sidelines more than on the front lines aggressively seeking out those that harm and kill U.S. soldiers and Iraqis.

Thankfully this isn't always the case as we saw raids into Fallujah, raids accross the entire Sunni Triangle and raids following the Mosul Mess Hall bombing, however I often question how often the U.S. military is out looking for terrorists rather than responding to calls or terrorist attacks.

In theory alone, the 'Death Squads' would be charged with finding those who operate the attacks and I do hope the area of operations includes those outside of Iraq itself. This could be a drastic improvement in tactics and should allow for increased intelligence because the 'Death Squads' would be Iraqis, therefore have a better layout of the land and better connect with the people who have information to share.

The article makes a brief mention of anti-American hostility the death squads in Nicaragua caused that I am unaware of. Perhaps a reader can share some inside knowledge on this?

Update:
The Newsweek article on Death Squads can be found here, though there isn't really much more to it that I learned from the Newsweek article. I have however talked, via email, with a former member of the CIA who was directly involved in training the Death Squads in Nicaragua. Obviously the identity of this person will remain confidential.

From what I was told, the Death Squad consisted of only Nicaraguans to carry out the missions but were trained by the CIA and U.S. Special Forces. Members of this group were not necessarily Contras, and they lived primarily inside of Nicaragua carrying out their regular day jobs but participated in searching out and capturing or killing leaders of the opposing forces at night.

When I asked why this option was a good option in Nicaragua and why it would be a good one in Iraq, the former agent told me the following (punctuation and spelling corrected):

. . . in Nicaragua the United States military had only a small force and they were covert. We couldn't send in a large number of soldiers until war was declared and we could not enter other countries where some of the ringleaders operated out of. This same scenario is happening in Iraq where some leadership of the insurgency is directed out of neighboring countries of Iraq and the United States military cannot enter these nations without approval. The Death Squad is only loosely tied to the United States so they can do what they please.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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It seems like a daily posting concering an Iraqi official, National Guardsman or police officer being assassinated in Iraq. Unfortunately today is no exception.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The deputy police chief of Baghdad and his son, also a police officer, were assassinated Monday, an interior ministry official said.

Brig. Amer Ali Nayef and his son, Lt. Khalid Amer, were gunned down in Baghdad's south Dora district while traveling in a car on their way to work, said a spokesman for the ministry, Capt. Ahmed Ismail.

- Associated Press

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- Associated Press

RAMALLAH, West Bank - Mahmoud Abbas was elected Palestinian Authority president by a wide margin Sunday, exit polls showed, giving him a decisive mandate to renew peace talks with Israel, rein in militants and try to end more than four years of Mideast bloodshed.

The victory of the staid and pragmatic Abbas, who has spoken out against violence and has the backing of the international community, was expected to usher in a new era, after four decades of chaotic and corruption-riddled rule by Yasser Arafat (news - web sites) who died Nov. 11.

"We, the Palestinians, are drawing our future with our own hands. We will be the symbol of democracy and freedom," said Aya Abdel Kader, 45, a lawyer voting at a Gaza City school.

Abbas, popularly known as Abu Mazen, has promised to reform the Palestinian Authority, overhaul the unwieldy Palestinian security services and quickly resume negotiations with Israel, stalled for four years.

However, his political objectives are the same as Arafat's: a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, and a solution for Palestinian refugees and their descendants.

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Following up on the success of the Oil-For-Food program, Coordinator Kofi can now take credit for an Eggs-For-Sex peacekeeper program. The Eastern Congo is the backdrop where UN Forces are relying upon hunger to fuel the entrepreneurial spirit in girls as young as 13 to trade sex for eggs. According to the Straits Times:

United Nations peacekeepers in eastern Congo traded eggs, milk and cash for sex with girls and women they were sent to protect, an investigation showed.

They had sex with girls as young as 13 inside guard posts, in rundown shelters, in the bushes around military camps, or on bare ground under trees, normally just after dark, said the UN on Friday.

Many of the girls had already been raped during the civil war. Some had been left to fend for themselves after their families were killed in the war and were desperate for food and money.

'Hunger has encouraged children to try to make contact with members of the UN mission's troops,' the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services said after investigating 72 separate allegations in the town of Bunia between May and September 2004.

Boys aged between eight and 18 years living on the streets or in refugee camps acted as pimps, facilitating access to girls for US$1 (S$1.70) or a handful of food.

[ ... ]

Many of the soldiers involved are likely to go unpunished due to a lack of evidence while others had already moved on from Congo. Under the UN rules, the troops' home country rather than the world body is responsible for punishing them.

And, there's the beauty of Kofi's coordinating. It's the classic "Bayonet the wounded after the battle is over" ploy. Nobody is culpable because the UN has no rules governing their coordinating activities. Consequently, just like the Oil-For-Food program, no crimes were committed in the eyes of the UN and Kofi keeps on coordinating.

It's not exactly clear how the UN Secretary General will apply his skills in the aftermath of the South Asian tsunami disaster, but it's rumored that a Medicine-For-Cash program is being coordinated. You've got to hand it to the Great Coordinator. Not since Attila the Hun has anyone so successfully put the "P's" in plunder and pillage.

All along, the world has been fooled into thinking the UN has been a peacekeeper when, in reality, it's been a "P's" keeper.

Companion post at Interested-Participant.

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- Novnite

US-led multinational forces have detained a key leader in the Muslim militant network in Iraq headed by al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the U.S. military said Saturday. Abdul Aziz Sa'dun Ahmed Hamduni, also known as Abu Ahmed, had also served as the deputy of the top Mosul militant leader identified as Abu Talha, the statement said. "Abu Ahmed admitted to receiving money and weapons from Abu Talha as well as coordinating and conducting terrorist attacks in Mosul, the statement said. It said Hamduni was detained on December 22. "The capture of Abu Ahmed, and the subsequent capture of Abu Marwan on 23 December, show significant progress in the inevitable destruction of the Abu Talha-led Al-Qaeda-Zarqawi terrorist network in Mosul," said U.S. Brig. Gen. Erwin Lessel, spokesman for Multi-National Forces-Iraq, in the statement. Earlier in the week the Emirate newspaper al-Bayane reported that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, declared "target number one in Iraq" by the US authorities, has been arrested in the city of Baakuba.

Perhaps the greatest terrorist arrest in the past year was that of Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan, a computer and communications expert operating inside of Pakistan. Following the arrest of Khan, the CIA found and broke Al Qaida's code, arrested several other Al Qaida operatives, found out Al Qaida was contacting sleeper cells in the United States and England arrested more than eight connected to a plot inside of England. Clearly the arrest of only one terrorist led to a treasure trove of information.

While the arrest of Zarqawi would presumably lead to the arrest of Abu Ahmed. If Zarqawi has not been captured, it could very well work in reverse. Each time a terrorist is arrested rather than killed, it is a far greater accomplishment based upon the intelligence that can be gathered from the captured terrorist. The intelligence can save lives as well as help the U.S. and Coallition forces find and capture more terrorists.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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There are certain things you just don't do while traveling abroad. Take for instance these few scenarios.

You don't go to France and ask for California wine. You don't travel to China and remove a piece of the Great Wall. You don't go to Greece and tell every single Greek Alexander was gay. Never go to the cape South Africa and swim with blood-stained clothes in the ocean.

These sound like common sense to me. You risk offending the natives, being arrested and dying. When you travel, you just have to realize you are going to a different culture with possibly a different set of rules to abide by than your own.

Well, this guy just doesn't understand.

A BACKPACKER, believed to be from Queensland, is in a police lockup in a remote area of Argentina, facing a possible jail term for allegedly desecrating the country's flag.

The incident allegedly happened at a wine bar in Ushuaia, a town on the South American nation's southern tip that is a base for tourists travelling to Antarctica.

The 28-year-old Australian, a British man and a South African are in police custody.

Witnesses said the tourists were drunk when they saw the flag hanging outside the bar, opened a window to tear it down and then left and trampled it outside before throwing it in a bin.

Other tourists called police who arrested the trio.

What a moron. I don't agree that he should be in jail if it is for desecrating the flag, if it's for disorderly conduct or moronic behavior, then he deserves to be there.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- FoxNews

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Interior Ministry has launched a search operation for a missing French journalist and her translator, a ministry official said, amid a possible witness account that they were abducted in downtown Baghdad.

Florence Aubenas, a reporter for the daily newspaper Liberation, and translator Hussein Hanoun al-Saadi were last seen Wednesday morning leaving Aubenas' hotel in the Iraqi capital.

The Interior Ministry official said that so far they have no information or leads on their whereabouts.

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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- Boston.com

BERLIN -- Islamic extremists accused of plotting to kill Iraq's prime minister in Germany are smuggling battle-hardened fighters from Iraq to Europe, raising a potential new terrorist threat on the continent, according to German officials.

More than 20 alleged supporters of Ansar al-Islam have been arrested in Europe in the past year as authorities move against the group that has links with al-Qaida and Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who's been leading bloody attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq.

Ansar al-Islam is suspected of spiriting dozens of fired-up young Muslims to Iraq to join the insurgency, but the latest raids in Germany -- the most spectacular yet against the group -- heightened concerns that the organization also could pose a menace outside Iraq, too.

Whether Europe realizes it or not, and I would presume they do not as of yet, Europe is fast-becomming a radical islamic breeding ground and hotspot. We all know of the brutal attack on Dutch filmaker Theo Van Gough in the Netherlands. What is next? Could the recent upswing in anti-semetic grafiti and vandalism in France be a signal the islmofacists have already taken root in France as well?

Cross-posted at In the Bullpen

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