First the Spittoon brought you the news that the darling of Cageprisoners, East London Mosque, City University’s Islamic Society and others too, Anwar al-Awlaki, had, in the past, been the imam for the Fort Hood murderer, Major Nidal Hasan. A connection which also linked him to two of the 9/11 hijackers, for whom Awlaki has been described as being a “spiritual advisor”.
Well, now Awlaki has responded to the shooting with an entry entitled Nidal Hassan Did the Right Thing (pdf) on his blog. I reproduce it below in the hope that people in various capacities in government (central and local), the media and more will become familiar with this man and never again will he be able to sully a venue in Britain.
And guess who it was…
Whilst Sunny, Harry’s Place and many more speculate about what lay behind Major Nidal Malik Hasan’s murderous rampage in Fort Hood, the Huffington Post carries a piece written by Kamran Pasha, who has a Muslim soldier friend, Richard, who knew Hasan. It contains a fascinating and troubling detail.
As Richard got to know Hasan better over the next several months, he found the major to be a pious man who was at the mosque daily. But Richard also began to garner a sense of Hasan’s political views that troubled him. A black-and-white outlook on Islam and life that had no room for nuance or debate. Hasan had apparently attended a mosque led by an imam named Anwar Al-Awlaki, a Yemeni scholar whose political views Richard disagrees with.
Obama has finally announced the end of the shameful “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in the US military reports today’s Wall Street Journal:
WASHINGTON–President Barack Obama on Saturday pledged to end a 16-year-old policy banning gay people from serving openly in the nation’s military, in a gesture to a group that provided a major source of support during his campaign.
But the president didn’t set out a timetable for reversing the policy. As a result, his pledge might not be enough to appease some in the gay community who feel that Mr. Obama hasn’t moved quickly enough to address their issues — even as his message could spark criticism from some conservatives and members of the military.
Speaking at a human-rights dinner in the capital, Mr. Obama vowed to end the Clinton-era “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which allows homosexuals to serve in the military, as long as they don’t disclose their sexual orientation or act on it.
By Retired | Published:
May 31, 2009
Shocking news from America.
A doctor who was one of the few in the US to continue carrying out late-term abortions was shot dead in a church today.
George Tiller, 67, who had been picketed, bombed and shot in the arms in previous incidents, was killed at his church in Kansas, according to police sources.
His was one of only three clinics in the United States to carry out late-term abortions, which are legal in Kansas if two independent doctors agree that the mother would be irreparably harmed should the pregnancy be allowed to continue.
Tiller was a controversial man, whose clinic has been the site of protests for two decades. He was shot and wounded by a protester in 1993 and someone placed a bomb on the roof of the clinic in 1986, seriously damaging the building.
By Retired | Published:
May 22, 2009
The brilliant as ever Daily Show answers two interesting questions in this video. Firstly, what the American take is on this whole scandal (mercicless mocking). But also, at 22 seconds in, they reveal who actually watches Press TV – Daily Show researchers.
Posted in Democracy, Politics | Also tagged Jon Stewart |
By Retired | Published:
May 21, 2009
Hamin Rashada, senior life coach at the Orange County Transition Center, has been speaking about one of his charges, Laguerre Payen, who was one of four men arrested for plotting to bomb two synagogues and shoot down an American military aircraft.
“He’s a strange kid,” Rashada said. “He had a lot of psychological problems.”
Rashada is a senior life coach with the program and was working with Payen. He also encouraged him to attend Friday prayers at Masjid al-Ikhlas in Newburgh where Rashada is an assistan imam. Payen had told him he was Muslim, and Rashada figured he must have been introduced to Islam in prison. Misunderstandings of the teachings can occur in places such as prison, Rashada said, because educated teachers may be rarer. Rashada said at the Newburgh mosque, they worked to put teachings in their proper context. Payen attended only occasionally, however, he said.
Posted in Terrorism | Tagged USA |