Kabul Today: No Trees, No Paved Roads, No Electricity, No Women in Sight–Only Drugs and Guns.

H/t to Phyllis for sending this in.

My only comment: unless radical Islam is stopped this could be your future.

Phyllis Chesler, 19 February, 2008
I lived in Kabul nearly fifty years ago. It was enchanting and dangerous. I lived on a wide and gracious street lined with trees. We had electricity, phones, hot and cold running water, and marble bathrooms. There was a movie theatre and an American-style cafeteria restaurant. Bazaars flourished, mosques shimmered, a thousand (all male) tea-houses thrived. Barefoot boys scurried bearing tea for businessmen all day long.

It is gone, all gone—mainly due to the Arab jihadis, (bin Laden’s boys), the Soviets, and the native reactionary Islamists. They all bear enormous responsibility for this tragedy as do all the Arab and Muslim regimes who failed to stop bin Laden and who instead spent all their time and resources scapegoating Israel. America? First, we mainly neglected Afghanistan, then we funded what became the Taliban as part of our titanic struggle with Soviet Russia. Finally, after 9/11, we went in to rid the country of the Arab jihadis. That battle is still underway.

Here’s a verbal snapshot of Kabul today. It was written by an American businessman who wrote to a friend of mine who forwarded his words to me. He has a dry and ironic wit and a keen eye. His information is accurate and utterly heartbreaking.

“First of all, the roads aren’t paved. Also, there are no street lights. Not a lot of trees. That’s because almost all of the trees in the country have been cut down for firewood. They’re digging up the roots now. That’s in Kabul.
Second, there must be something strange about the gene pool there because there aren’t any women. I was there six days and there are 100 men in the streets for every woman. And most of them are completely covered. I didn’t see one Afghani couple on a date. In fact, I didn’t see anybody on a date. The restaurants have guards with Ak47’s and double sets of walls to avoid the car bombers. In case you don’t speak Pushto or English, there are big signs with pictures of AK47s x’d out in red just so everybody understand the dress code if you want to eat.

Third, nobody can read. And there is not a lot of room for improvement there because I saw an awful lot of kids in the street begging or working. It was reassuring that none of them were younger then 5. Well, I’m not sure, some of them might have been 4.”

Fourth, no one in the American Embassy is allowed to leave. To eat, to go shopping, even to fool around—assuming that there was anyone to fool around with or someplace to go. They can go to a private house if there is enough security.

Fifth, the Army allows it’s personnel to leave to go out, but they have to be in an armored vehicle. The part about that is that the tactics seem to be completely different from the Petreaus handbook which is a work of genius. Even the soldiers say they are going out of their minds. Its really hard to stay fit and alert in a compound.

Sixth, there may be some infrastructure improvement or improvement in living conditions but even in Kabul, electricity is intermittent for most of the population and even running water is not completely available. Absolutely no one thinks that there is a significant improvement in the standard of living and the rural areas are probably worse because of the war.

Seventh, everyone agrees that the situation is much worse then it was two years ago.

Muslims the world does not revolve around you

I realize chatting with upset Muslims has become an almost daily duty for me. I do not seek them out they come to me. Until more westerners understand your tree nature, I’ll keep exercising my God given right of free speech. It’s not that I have anything against a single Muslim, my issue is your pride in an archaic ideology I find backwards and cruel.

I really could care less what people pray to until you attempt to force it on me. I find your worship of the pedophile king to be disgusting and can not understand why any of you are not deeply ashamed at the intolerance and blatant double standards of your chosen religion. You have no respect for others and like Satan you hate more than anything to be mocked so mock you I shall. I know you do not like pictures of mohammed the pedophile king so I chose a different subject, enjoy the picture.

Naturally I am a fair man-most tolerant so here is the deal. Go one single week with no Muslims acting out violently and claiming in some sick way that it brings credit to mohammed and allah and I’ll remove this cartoon. I think it will be here for a long time. As old as I am I can not remember ever picking up a paper and not reading about a Muslim killing, burning raping someone, occasionally one goes the extra mile and does all of them to a single victim.

To non-Muslims, please forgive me for the cartoon, like you I find it offensive but it makes my point that Muslims are intolerant a-holes who talk a good line but do not back it up.

I find mindless violence toward minorities, women and the weak, ranting five times a day, honor killings, terrorism, pedophilia and slavery offensive so all practicing Muslims offend me deeply. I am offended any of you have the nerve to attempt to convince me that your evil book does not justify and honor the behavior.

The difference between you and me is I know that there is no acceptable excuse for your behavior or your religious justification of it. To you few who will point out that not all Muslims do such things save it I heard it many times already. If you do not like the image Islam has in the world Muslims will have to change it. Passive support is still support so put up or shut up. If you call yourself a Muslim and are not actively seeking out and reporting the crazies in your communities-then you are part of the problem not the solution. Passive support is still support.

Musharraf Urged to Quit After PML-Q Concede’s Defeat in Election

I beg to differ.  Musharraf has kept his word and allowed the democratic process to continue.  Critics of Musharraf, including the MSM, have been effectively silenced by the outcome of this election.  I’m sure they were all hoping for a PML-Q win so they could claim “voter fraud” and then stir up the mindless masses to riot in the streets.  Now, having had this line of action snatched from their grubby little hands, they instead claim that this is proof that Musharraf should quit. 

What a load of crap.  Look, I’m not overly fond of Musharraf, but when you take a gander at all the other options available, he’s the lesser evil.   And, does anyone seriously think the next Pakistani President would be any better than Musharraf?

So, all in all, I see this loss as a victory for not only Democracy, but Musharraf’s credibility as well.

PPP supporters celebrate their political victory

Pakistan’s Musharraf urged to quit after poll rout

ISLAMABAD (AFP) — Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf faced mounting calls to quit Tuesday as opposition parties moved towards a coalition government in the wake of a sweeping election victory over his allies.

The widower of slain former premier Benazir Bhutto said he had no interest in working with Musharraf’s defeated backers, but said he would join forces with other groups opposed to the key figure in US anti-terror efforts.

“We will form a government of national consensus which will take along every democratic force,” Asif Ali Zardari told a news conference a day after the parliamentary elections.

Celebratory gunfire erupted in several cities as unofficial preliminary results showed a big win for the parties of former premier Nawaz Sharif and of Bhutto.

“Musharraf has said he would quit when people tell him. People have now given their verdict,” said two-time prime minister Sharif, ousted by Musharraf in a bloodless 1999 coup.

He said he was set to meet Zardari on Thursday.

Behead the Mannequins!

What can I say? Islamic stupidity knows no bounds… And, this is just more evidence that, in a male-dominated Islamic society, women are viewed not as humans with separate identities, but rather as life support systems for a vagina..

Sharjah shops told to ‘behead’ mannequins

By Mariam M. Al Serkal, Staff Reporter
Published: February 19, 2008 – Gulf News

UAE – Sharjah: Mannequins in Sharjah shops should be headless and only model “decent” clothing, a Sharjah Municipality circular has stated.

The municipality has urged shopkeepers to abide by a ban that prohibits the display of mannequins with facial features, said a senior Sharjah Municipality official.

“The only clothes on display now should be decent and the mannequins should be headless,” said Khalid Al Jaberi, head of market control at Sharjah Municipality.

A circular was recently sent to all shops stating the heads of mannequins be removed and that they are forbidden to wear underwear, to uphold the traditional and religious values of the emirate.

“We reinforced the ban because it was a religious issue that raised many complaints from residents, who were against shops displaying men and women’s undergarments on realistic mannequins,” said Al Jaberi.

He said no fines had been imposed on shops because everyone had adhered to the circular.
Sharjah Municipality originally implemented the ban five years ago following a fatwa issued by the Islamic Affairs Department.

However, the ban has been reinforced because several outlets had stopped abiding by the rule.
The municipality has always been keen on conserving the traditional Islamic values of Sharjah and has already implemented several rules, including the ban on men selling women’s undergarments in shops.

The Sharjah Economic Development Department ordered 10 shops to close in March 2007 for flouting the rule, and instructed all shops and shopping centres to hire only female employees to sell women’s undergarments.

Goodbye Castro, Hello Castro

Fidel Castro has stepped down and let Raul Castro take a crack at the bat.  It’s kind of like that saying folks have around the office, “meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”  And, just to push the point forward, the U.S. position on all of this is,  “business as usual.”  Hardly surprising as zombie Fidel will still be the one behind the curtains, pulling on the political strings of his communist government.  He…  just …won’t… DIE… 

US Won’t Lift Cuba Embargo

By MATTHEW LEE
Associated Press Writer – MyFoxOrlando

WASHINGTON  —  Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said Tuesday the United States will not soon lift its embargo on Cuba despite Fidel Castro’s resignation.

Asked by reporters at the State Department if Washington planned to change its Cuba policy now that Castro has stepped down, Negroponte replied: “I can’t imagine that happening anytime soon.” He declined further comment.

The centerpiece of American policy toward Cuba has been the economic embargo, first instituted in limited form in 1960 and strengthened in 1962. Castro persistently called the trade embargo “criminal,” and claimed that its economic impact on the island ran well into the tens of billions of dollars.

In Rwanda, President Bush expressed hope that the end of Fidel Castro’s presidency will launch a transition to democracy in Cuba after nearly 50 years of ironclad, communist rule.

Long a target of U.S. criticism and sanctions, the ailing Castro, 81, announced he would not accept a new term.

“What does this mean for the people in Cuba?” Bush said at a news conference during his trip to Africa. “They’re the ones who suffered under Fidel Castro. They’re the ones who were put in prison because of their beliefs. They’re the ones who have been denied their right to live in a free society. So I view this as a period of transition and it should be the beginning of the democratic transition in Cuba.”

Tom Casey, deputy spokesman at the State Department, expressed hope for change in Cuba, but said the U.S. remains skeptical.

“We would hope that the departure from the scene of Cuba’s long-ruling dictator Fidel Castro would allow for a democratic transition. … We would hope that his departure would begin this transition,” Casey told reporters.

But he added that the United States is troubled by signs that Cuba’s leadership envisions this as a “transfer of authority and power from dictator to dictator light — from Fidel to Raul.”

High Tech Meets the 7th Century

For the Muslim “Raver” crowd, I assume…

H/T – Warner

Illuminated prayer rug helps point way to Mecca

I assume most Muslims who pray on a regular basis more or less know the direction of Mecca wherever they are, but a traveller might find this illuminated rug with its compass feature handy. Besides which it’s unusual and strangely beautiful.

Turkish designer Soner Özenç, who is based in Britain , designed the Sajjadah 1426 prayer rug which combines traditional artwork and patterns with electroluminescent phosphor printing technology. The lighted designs brighten the closer the rug is to the direction of Mecca, so the faithful can always be sure they’re pointing to the right location, and the soft glow is said to provide a soothing environment in which to fully focus on the prayer. Personally, I’d probably be distracted by the pretty shiny lights…

[via Born Rich]

A Case for Intolerance

Here’s an interesting commentary to read while sipping down that morning coffee. The author, William Federer, suggests Western tolerance begets Islamic intolerance. So, if I’m sussing this correctly, that would mean the intolerance of Islam begets tolerance…
Moderate Muslims turning radical?

by William J. Federer
Steve Farrell – Men’s News Daily
February 19, 2008

Britain’s Daily Mail, Jan. 29, 2007, reported in the article “Multiculturalism drives young Muslims to shun British values”:

Multiculturalism has alienated an entire generation of young Muslims and made them increasingly radical, a report has found. In stark contrast with their parents, growing numbers sympathize with extreme teachings of Islam, with almost four in 10 wanting to live under Sharia law in Britain. The study identifies significant support for wearing the veil in public and even punishment by death for Muslims who convert to another religion. Most alarmingly, 13 percent of young Muslims said they “admired” organizations such as al-Qaida which are prepared to “fight the West.”

Germany’s Spiegel, Dec. 20, 2007, reported in the article “Interior Ministry warns of radicalization of Muslims”:

A new study released by Germany’s Interior Ministry has added new fuel to the debate about integration of Muslims in Germany, with the report warning about the danger of radicalization of Muslims. According to the study … 40 percent of Muslims surveyed had a “fundamentalist orientation” … 6 percent of those surveyed were classified as having “violent tendencies,” while 14 percent of respondents had “anti-democratic” tendencies. … The report also concluded that religious beliefs are becoming increasingly important for young people.

Europe is wondering why fundamental Islam is not assimilating; history may reveal the reason.

The word “Islam” means submission to the will of Allah, and a “Muslim” is someone who has submitted. A “dhimmi” is an inferior non-Muslim coerced to submit.

Muhammad divided the world into two parts: those who have submitted and those yet to submit. He called these two parts the House of Islam and the House of War, pronounced in Arabic “dar al-Islam” and “dar al-harb.”

Within 100 years of Muhammad’s death in A.D. 632, fundamental Islamic caliphs, with cavalry armed with scimitar swords, subjugated vast areas of the world: Arabia, Persia, the Holy Land, North Africa, Spain, Southern France, Sicily, Central Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia.

Egypt was conquered by Muslim Gen. Amr ibn al-As. Gen. Khalid ibn al-Walid was called the “Drawn Sword of Allah” for being undefeated in nearly 100 battles.

In the next 1,000 years, Sultans subdued Indonesia, Java, Borneo, Sumatra, the Byzantine Empire, the Balkans, Armenia, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Wallachia, Moldova, Serbia and regions of China, Tibet, Bengal, Mongolia, India, Russia, Hungary and Poland.

In 1529 and 1683, over 100,000 Turkish Muslims attack Vienna, Austria.

Whereas “world peace” in the West means peaceful coexistence, “world peace” in Islam means the world submitting to the will of Allah.