Mosque Leader Charged in Cigarette Smuggling Ring

A leader of a South Carolina mosque was among 11 men arrested in a cigarette trafficking and money laundering scheme spanning several states. A 26-count indictment issued in November and unsealed last week accused Nasser Alquza, president of the Central Mosque of Charleston, and others of conspiracy, receiving stolen property, and related charges.

The arrests followed a government sting operation in which Alquza and other defendants allegedly purchased over 6,800 cases of "stolen" Marlboro cigarettes from undercover agents in exchange for over $7.5 million, the indictment said. The proceeds from the "stolen" cigarettes, whose wholesale value was in excess of $15 million, was then laundered through legitimate businesses owned or controlled by the defendants.

According to a report in the Charleston Post and Courier, federal agents searched Alquza's home in Mount Pleasant and seized computers, cameras, check books, receipts, business records, passports and identification documents.

Alquza resigned from the mosque in December. Imad Musallam, a senior official at the mosque, told the Post and Courier that Alquza resigned for personal reasons and his resignation had nothing to do with the federal investigation.

"That's his personal problem," Musallam was quoted saying in the daily. "We cannot judge someone, and we cannot say anything until he's found guilty."

The indictment highlighted the illegal sale of cigarettes as a serious problem facing law enforcement. It detailed how criminal enterprises purchased large volumes of cigarettes in states with low cigarette taxes such as North and South Carolina and illegally transported them to states with higher cigarette taxes where they were sold without paying the sales tax for higher profits.

The case is reminiscent of a Hizballah fundraising operation from the 1990s based out of Charlotte, N.C., in which 18 defendants led by Mohamad Hammoud were responsible for the illegal smuggling of more than $8 million worth of cigarettes from North Carolina to Michigan. Profits from the cigarette sales were sent to Hizballah in Lebanon. In 2002, Hammoud was sentenced to 150 years in prison. A judge subsequently reduced Hammoud's sentence to 30 years.

In a more recent case from December, a Lebanese drug dealer was implicated in a complex multi-million dollar international drug trafficking and automobile smuggling enterprise that involved at least 30 car dealerships in the United States. Court documents accused Ayman Joumaa of smuggling more than 100 tons of Colombian cocaine in collaboration with the violent Los Zetas Mexican drug cartel. Hizballah is alleged to be a key recipient of profits from Joumaa's criminal network.

Questionable Islamic Curriculum in Classrooms

The line between educating students about a religion and promoting the faith is trampled in a booklet being used in public schools, writes Janet Tassel at the American Thinker website.

She details the use of The Arab World Notebook in a suburban Boston public high school. The teacher spent a day each to cover Christianity and Judaism, but devoted more than two weeks to studying Islam. And among the claims in the Notebook is that there is no Quranic justification for subjugating women and that the Jewish connection to Jerusalem is a modern fabrication.

Tassel describes the reaction of Tony Pagliuso, whose daughter was in the class. He dismissed the text as "total propaganda," and complained to the teacher.

Her explanation? Well, it came from Harvard's Center for Middle Eastern Studies, so it must be good. But the American Jewish Committee critiqued the book in 2005, finding it is "largely designed to advance the anti-Israel and propagandistic views of the Notebook's sponsors, the Middle East Policy Council (MEPC) and Arab World and Islamic Resources (AWAIR), to an audience of teachers who may not have the resources and knowledge to assess this text critically."

MEPC is Saudi-funded, Tassel writes.

Thankfully, the superintendent in the Boston-area case agreed the chapter at issue "didn't meet the learning goals of the class" and had it removed from the curriculum. But that's just one school district. The AJC report found the Notebook fails to distinguish "fact and interpretation" or which accounts "within traditional Islam are disputed or unverifiable."

It's one thing to teach students about various religions. It's quite another to use sources which advocate for a faith. Tassel cites textbook watchdog William J. Bennetta, who found the "promotion of Islam in the Notebook is unrestrained," and the religious-indoctrination material that the Notebook dispenses is virulent."

It's a wonder educators are unable to see that.

Britain Bans Iranian Press TV

Britain's telecommunications regulator, Ofcom, revoked the license of Iranian state-owned television Press TV over breaches of the broadcasting code. Press TV has fired back, calling the move "questionable" and stating that the real intention is to undermine the political messages of the channel.

Ofcom's decision outlines that in order to obtain a British broadcasting license, the Britain-based branch must have control over the content of its programs. The decision charges that the real editorial decisions of London-based Press TV Ltd. are actually made by Press TV International, which follows the dictates of the Iranian government. Press TV Ltd. was also fined £100,000 last month for a 2009 violation of "broadcasting an interview under duress," when the company conducted an interview with detained Newsweek correspondent Maziar Bahari. Press TV Ltd. failed to pay or even respond to the fine.

Press TV has countered that the allegations are a way "to conceal the truth from the people of Britain," concerning British imperialism and supposed corruption in the royal family. However, the action is more probably linked to statements from a February 2010 Wikileaks document, describing Britain's desire for diplomatic retaliation against Iran's blocking of British and European stations. "HMG [Her Majesty's Government] is exploring ways to limit the operations of the IRIB's Press TV service, which operates a large bureau (over 80 staff) in London," the leaked cable said, linking future actions to sanctions on the Iranian government.

Diplomatic retaliation may also provide a reason for the December 2010 freezing of the media group's accounts by Britain's National Westminster Bank. But well-known British Muslim activist and Press TV correspondent Lauren Booth claimed that the account freezing was part of a secretive campaign by "Zionist organizations" to stop anti-Western and anti-Israel programming.

Though it serves as a mouthpiece for the Iranian regime, American Islamists routinely appear on Press TV, often criticizing American government policies or bemoaning life in America for Muslims.

Rushdie Cancels Literary Event in Wake of Islamist Threats

An Indian Islamist leader is hailing Salman Rushdie's decision to cancel an appearance at a literary festival due to death threats as "a victory for democracy."

Rushdie was to speak today at Asia's largest literature festival in the western Indian city of Jaipur. But in an e-mailed statement read by the festival producer, Rushdie alleged "that paid assassins from the Mumbai underworld may be on their way to Jaipur to eliminate me."

"While I have some doubts as to the accuracy of this intelligence, it would be irresponsible for me to come to the festival in such circumstances," Rushdie's statement added.

Islamists around the world have denounced the Indian-born author's 1988 book The Satanic Verses as blasphemous. Iranian ruler Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie's death shortly after the book's publication. Rushdie went into hiding for nine years but then returned to public life. The fatwa was subsequently lifted by the Iranian government in 1998.

Maulana Abdul Qasim Nomani, head of a prominent Indian Islamist seminary Darul Uloom Deoband, hailed Rushdie's decision as "a victory for democracy because some Muslim organizations, including Darul Uloom Deoband, have opposed the visit to India in a democratic way."

Mohammad Salim, national secretary of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, also welcomed the announcement and described Rushdie as a "criminal from our religious point of view."

India West, a U.S.-based weekly publication targeting the Indian-American population, reports that the Mumbai-based Reza Academy announced a reward of Rs. 1 lakh (roughly $2,400) for anyone who threw a slipper at Rushdie during the event. Throwing a shoe or slipper is a form of insult in Indian culture.

Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), told India West that CAIR does not support shoe throwing "but we believe that everyone should have the right to voice their opinions no matter how abhorrent."

Hooper described Rushdie as "one of a cottage industry of Muslim bashers," but added that "he's almost a B-Team now," given the rising Islamophobia in the past two decades.

Rushdie will take part in the event via video link. "Very sad not to be in Jaipur," he said in a Twitter post. "I was told Bombay mafia don issued weapons to 2 hitmen to 'elimnate' me. Will do videolink instead. Damn (sic)."

In Gaza, Hamas and Friends Tighten the Noose

A Palestinian human-rights advocate has been brutally attacked by masked assailants after publishing an article criticizing Hamas and other Gaza-based terror groups. Mahmoud Abu Rahma, international relations director at the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, said he was stabbed repeatedly in the leg, shoulders and back on the night of Jan. 13 after leaving his brother's house in Gaza City.

Rahma, who received a dozen stitches, was released from the hospital Wednesday. He said his recent problems began after publishing an op-ed criticizing local jihadist organizations for using Palestinian civilians as human shields.

Although he did not mention any of the Palestinian "resistance" groups by name, Rahma was clearly criticizing the Hamas regime and allied jihadist groups that fire rockets at Israel from Gaza. UN Watch, a Switzerland-based organization that monitors United Nations activities, criticized the world body for ignoring human-rights violations by Hamas and its allies against Palestinians in Gaza.

"What is remarkable is that with all of the massive UN resources ostensibly dedicated to protecting Palestinians, the world body somehow managed to turn a blind eye to the massive violations of Palestinian rights described by … Rahma," UN Watch said.

Hamas and other jihadists "show little or no care for people's life and wellbeing," Rahma noted. "Military sites function and are located in places very close to neighborhoods, and/or schools, from where acts of resistance, including firing rockets, also occur," Rahma said.

He described the devastating human toll of jihadist operations out of densely populated civilian areas in Gaza. For example, "children are killed or maimed when explosive devices left in the streets or farms explode in their hands. And there is the young man who was shot in the legs for daring to publicly criticize a local resistance leader."

On another front, the Associated Press reported Thursday that Hamas police "beat up members of Gaza's tiny Shiite minority when they tried to hold a religious ceremony."

The thuggery and intimidation is one part of life under the Islamist dictatorship in Gaza. But the cultural noose is also tightening, as Hamas bans activities it deems un-Islamic.

Organizers of the Palestinian version of "American Idol" said Hamas has banned residents from participating, with an official claiming the show was not "morally acceptable." The regime has already barred women from smoking waterpipes and riding on the backs or motorcycles and prohibited men from working in hair salons.

Note: This post has been updated to fix an incorrect attribution.

Kuwaiti Cleric Calls for Hacker Jihad

Senior Kuwaiti Imam Tareq Mohammed al-Suwaidan called for a cyber jihad against Israel, in a Twitter post that reached over 240,000 followers, reports Ynetnews.com. The move followed several tit-for-tat attacks between Arab and Israeli hackers, mostly targeting Israeli citizens, financial institutions, and government websites.

"There is a need to united hacker efforts, within the framework of cyber Jihad against the Zionist enemy," al-Suwaidan wrote on Twitter. He also called the attacks an "efficient jihad which will reap great rewards, Inshallah [Allah willing]."

Abdulrahman al-Kharraz, a senior member of a Kuwaiti committee against the Gaza blockade, also called for attacks on Israel. "The Saudi hacker's electronic jihad reminds me of Yahya Ayyash," he said, recalling a Hamas bomb maker who terrorized the Jewish state in the early 1990s.

The latest online battle between Israeli and Arab hackers took off on Jan. 3, although previous attacks including a 2008 shutdown of the Bank of Israel's website. A Saudi hacker calling himself OxOmer exposed the credit card details of as many as 20,000 Israelis, and claimed to have revealed around 400,000 card numbers. An Israeli hacker posted the credit numbers of 200 Saudis in response, although he did not include their full information.

In the past several days, the Saudi hacker and a Palestinian team calling itself "Nightmare" took down the websites of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, First International Bank of Israel, Israeli airline El Al, and two other major Israeli businesses. Israeli activists brought down the Saudi stock and UAE exchanges in response. The attacks on Israel had minimal effect, despite the potential for most devastating attacks, and the Israeli Defense Ministry is planning to establish a special cyber warfare administration as further deterrence.

Arab Knesset Member Praises Palestinian Martyrdom

An Arab member of Israel's parliament is drawing heat for saying there is "nothing more praiseworthy than martyrdom" for Palestinians. It was not an endorsement of suicide bombing, Ahmad Tibi says, but some of his Knesset peers consider his words traitorous and incitement.

"The shahid [martyr] is honored throughout the history of nations. He is the one who blazed the trail for us. He paved the path to liberty with his blood," Tibi said last week, commemorating the Palestinian Authority's 'Martyr's Day.' "They are the shahids [martyrs] who the occupier calls terrorists and we say are fighting for the homeland," he added.

Tibi claims that his comments were not controversial because "Israelis are ignorant with regards to the term shahid [martyr]," despite its frequent use by terrorist organizations to describe killed fighters. He says he was referring to all those killed by Israeli forces while struggling "for the homeland," and not suicide bombers. But Tibi endorsed terrorism on Palestinian Authority television in 2008, stating "I emphasize, resisting the occupation is possible, permissible, and furthermore, it is one of the rights of the occupied people, as Hizballah did and was victorious in its resistance."

Tibi has raised controversy in other ways. Last year, the Knesset shot down a bill he proposed which would have denied state funds to any organization that refused to recognize the catastrophe [Nakba] of Israel's founding. The Knesset in the past week has voted down two other bills proposed by him, one which would have recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Arab Palestine and another which would honor Arabs who fought against the establishment of Israel in 1948.

Tibi already is serving a one week suspension from the Knesset for inappropriate behavior, after he mocked another suspended member in an innuendo-laden poem.

Palestinian Terrorist Groups Discuss Merger

The two main Islamist groups based in Gaza, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, are holding talks about merging into a single movement. The move could paralyze reconciliation talks with the ruling West Bank-centered Fatah party, by entrenching Hamas in a rejectionist policy toward Israel, as well as combine the arsenals of both terrorist organizations.

"An in-depth dialogue has actually begun, both internally and externally, with the aim of uniting," Islamic Jihad spokesman Daud Shihab told the AFP. Similar pronouncements emerged in Arabic from Hamas' Gaza-based head, Ismail Haniyeh, who claimed the talks were intended to open a "deep dialogue" that would result in "a full integrative unity between the two [parties]."

The talks contradict claims by out-going leader Khaled Meshaal, that Hamas is interested in making a strategic turn away from violence and toward pragmatism. Islamic Jihad's platform holds that jihad is the only way to liberate Palestine, and that this is part of a pan-Islamic revival that will engulf the world. The group has also repeatedly pounded Israel with rockets and broken ceasefires with the Jewish state.

Negotiations for a union of the groups have broken down before. Islamic Jihad sought cooperation or unity with Hamas during the 1987-1993 intifada, but the groups were unable to overcome ideological issues.

Al-Qaida Propaganda Shifts

Al-Qaida's propaganda focus is shifting with the establishment of locally-oriented jihadi media groups, according to a report by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). The refocus has transferred attention from English-language propaganda and calls for attacking America, toward capitalizing on the Arab Spring and establishing Islamic regimes in the Arab world.

"The establishment of these locally oriented media companies apparently marks the implementation of a strategy Al-Qaeda has laid down for the Arab countries, especially those recently freed from the yoke of autocratic rulers, namely Egypt and Tunisia," MEMRI reports.

The rise of localized Arabic-language jihadi media coincides with a general decline of independent English-language al-Qaida media, which has also suffered since the assassination of English-language al-Qaida propagandists Samir Khan and Anwar al-Awlaki in a drone strike last September. Current English-language media consists of translation of pre-existing Arabic videos and publications, with no major magazine replacing formerly popular and now defunct Inspire magazine.

The development is the realization of al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, whose audio addresses have focused on developments in the Arab world.

MEMRI: MB Anti-Semitism Contradicts Moderation Claims

The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's website glorifies hate against Jews and the killing of Israelis, casting doubts on whether the group has toned downed its rhetoric, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reports. This is of particular concern now that the Brotherhood has become the dominant political force in Egypt, winning nearly half of all parliamentary seats.

"In addition to antisemitic content, articles on the site also include praise for jihad and martyrdom, and condemnation of negotiation as a means of regaining Islamic lands," MEMRI notes. The anti-Semitic posting on the website presents Jews as "covetous, exploitative, and a source of evil in human society."

The postings often equate historical anti-Semitic motifs and Islamic theology with current events. A sermon last June by General Guide Mohammad Badie warned of the Jews and their warmongering, blaming them for the division of Sudan into two countries, Palestinian infighting, and creating war among Muslims.

A May 23, 2011 article by Mahmoud Abd Al-Rahman discussed the "Zionist Jewish character," a problem faced by humanity from the days of the Pharaohs in Egypt to the modern era. "Analyzed psychologically, the Jew is a self-centered individual. He believes that God has not created his equal in the world, that he is the salt of the earth, and that God has given the [other] nations to him as slaves," Abd Al-Rahman wrote.

Starting in October 2010, university lecturer Ismail Ali Muhammad published a series of articles attacking the Jews by citing their religious texts. "It would not be an exaggeration to say that the [Jewish] character is still a source of evil and harm among all human societies," Muhammad wrote, as he advocated making preparations for war with "our enemy."

Other articles deny the Holocaust and praise Jihad as the only way to liberate Palestine. "The Hamas lions, from the ['Izz Al-Din] Al-Qassam [Brigades] and [Islamic] Jihad in Palestine... demonstrated their readiness for martyrdom for the sake of Allah and did not forgo [sacrificing] their lives [for the sake of] the homeland," wrote 'Abd Al-Rahman Al-Bar, a member of the General Guide's Office. "Victory for Allah is at hand. The enemies of Allah will receive no help from Him. The aggressor will never achieve his aim in Jerusalem, as long as we have one child in it."

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