Goldstone Committee Head Resigns

The UN Human Rights Council's panel to review the Goldstone Report, suffered a setback yesterday when German jurist Christian Tomuschat resigned, citing a busy schedule. However, critics have opined that he should have been fired over highly biased views that made his appointment a dubious affair, according to Foxnews' Ben Evansky.

Tomuschat, who was to chair the three-person committee to review, monitor, and enforce the recommendations of the "UN Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict," also called the Goldstone Report. However, accusations of bias appeared from the Swiss based non-governmental organization UN Watch, which issued a report documenting actions the jurist had taken in favor of Palestinian actors. The report noted that Tomuschat had performed legal work for Yasser Arafat, "had frequently compared Israeli actions with the "barbarism" and "inferno" of World War II; and had repeatedly accused Israel of "state terrorism."

Anne Bayefsky, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and Touro College, commented to Foxnews on the resignation of Tomuschat and another member of the Committee. She stated "Tomuschat and company jumped at the chance to spend some time at UN center stage by repeating the Goldstone blood libel and sidestepping criticism of Hamas. With their biases fully exposed and their reputation as serious lawyers suffering, however, they jumped ship."

Although the committee is scheduled to present its next report in March 2011, no new replacements have been named to this oversight group.

Dutch Reporter: Immigrants Seeking Asylum in Europe Linked to Security Problems, Intimidation of Christians, Jews

An influx of immigrants seeking asylum from Africa and the Middle East is causing quite a headache for Europe. According to Dutch investigative reporter Emerson Vermaat, this pool of immigrants includes individuals who promote Islamist ideology, persecute other Christian asylum seekers and carry anti-Semitic beliefs.

"Certainly not all Muslim asylum seekers and migrants are criminals or radicals," writes Varmaat. Yet, as he points out, known al-Qaida sympathizers and leaders of Islamist movements have entered European countries, seeking asylum. For example, Abu Qatada, who has been described as "Osama bin Laden's right hand man in Europe" and Omar Bakri Mohammed, former leader of the racial group al-Muhajrioun, were both granted asylum in Britain.

Qatada has been cited claiming that the Savior will return to the earth with an "army in the sky, killing the Jews, to wipe them out and rid the planet of the Jews." In 2009, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) kidnapped and killed a British national to punish Britain for holding Qatada behind bars. In November, Omar Mohammed was found guilty by a Lebanese court of teaching weapons training at an al-Qaida camp and of planning terrorist attacks.

Vermaat also cites an October article from the Sunday Times which noted that many Pakistanis living in Britain have "jihadist" views. "Terrorism has a real-life threat to people in Britain. It has a pungency and urgency," the Times asserted.

Egyptian Anwar Shaban fled the regime of Hosni Mubarak and sought asylum in Italy, where he opened an Islamic center in Milan. Shaban was a supporter of the Gama'a al-Islamiyya, a radical group which followed the teachings the "blind sheik" Omar Abdel Rahman. According to the New Jersey Star-Ledger, in 1995, Italy put out an arrest warrant for Shaban and about sixty other members of the group. Shaban fled to Bosnia-Herzegovina where he was killed for unknown reasons.

In Holland, Christian asylum seekers have been subjected to intimidation, even violent attacks by other Muslim asylum seekers. One Iraqi Christian woman was forced into hiding after several Muslims attacked her and threw her from her bike. Another Christian asylum seeker was thrown down a flight of stairs. In another case, a Muslim couple which converted to Christianity was threatened and intimidated by Muslims inside an asylum center.

In fact, a survey taken of 28 of the 59 asylum centers in Holland showed that about one third of Christian asylum seekers are the victims of physical violence. 75% of those surveyed said that they knew asylum seekers who have been subjected to discrimination because they are Christian or formerly Muslim.

Jews have also been the victims of persecution by these immigrants to Europe.

Earlier this year, in March, Muslims gathered at a rally in Sweden's third largest city, Malmö, chanting an anti-Jewish slogan. "Khaybar! Kahybar ya Yahood!," a taunt reminding the Jewish people that the army of Muhammad will return. One Jew, Marcus Ellenberg, left the Swedish city after continued harassment and shouts of "Heil Hitler" as he walked the sidewalks.

Sweden is also a hot spot for the recruitment of young Somali males for the Somali terrorist organization al-Shabaab, says Vermaat, especially in Gothenborg and Malmö. As the IPT previously reported, al-Shabaab's most recent recruitment video featured part of its message in Swedish.

ADC Defends Helen Thomas' anti-Semitism - Again

Arab-American leaders defended veteran journalist Helen Thomas, as her alma mater pulled an award named in her honor. Wayne State University's decision to disassociate itself with Thomas was a response to the most recent controversial comments by the veteran White House correspondent.

Thomas outlined "Zionist" control of key government and media outlets at an event by Arab Detroit, a group dedicated to "promoting an accurate image about the Arab American community and the Arab world." She stated, "We are owned by propagandists against the Arabs. There's no question about that. Congress, the White House and Hollywood, Wall Street are owned by the Zionists."

Imad Hamad, Michigan regional director of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), and Osama Siblani, publisher of the Dearborn-based Arab American News and spokesman for the Congress of Arab-American Organizations (CAAO), met with University officials to defend Thomas. The CAAO will also protest the university's decision on Friday.

"Helen Thomas is not now, and never has, been anti-Semitic," Hamad stated. "She has worked her entire career, 60 years, to bring truth to the American public, and she is simply continuing to do that." The ADC honored Thomas in November with the 2010 Mehdi Courage in Journalism award.

Siblani declared, "We do not understand why a remark against a political group—the Zionists—would be interpreted as being anti-Semitic."

The mention of "Zionist" ownership of media or control of the government is often a thinly veiled reference to Jews and echoes classic anti-Semitic libels. In response to her comments, officials at the Wayne State stated, "As a public university, Wayne State encourages free speech and open dialogue, and respects diverse viewpoints. However the university strongly condemns the anti-Semitic remarks made by Helen Thomas during a conference yesterday."

The university had also condemned previous anti-Semitic statements, where she told a Rabbi that the Israelis should get the hell out of Palestine and "go home" to "Poland, Germany and America and everywhere else." At the time Wayne State retained the award because of Thomas' "years of exemplary service" and her pioneering role for women in journalism.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization whose mission is to "fight anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry," supported the university's decision. "We commend Wayne State University for making the right decision to revoke the 'Helen Thomas Spirit of Diversity in Media' award and for making clear that what she said amounts to anti-Semitism," stated ADL Michigan Regional Director Betsy Kellman. "No academic institution or professional organization should want to be connected to Helen Thomas after the outrageous anti-Semitic remarks she made to a public forum."

Thomas defended her comments. "I just think that people should be enlightened as to who is in charge of the opinion in this country," Thomas told a Marion, Ohio radio station WMRN-AM. She also responded defensively to the ADL's comments, "They think they have the right of intimidation." She also stated, "They already got my job. They want to get my honorary degrees."

Countering Radicalization with Soap Operas

In the battle for hearts and minds in the Arab world, the US government may not have to look any further than Wisteria Lane. That, according to recently disclosed State Department cables which reveal that American television shows like Desperate Housewives and The Late Show with David Letterman have been effective "agents of influence" in the Middle East.

ABC News reported on the cables, which discussed the Saudi government's decision to permit satellite broadcasts of American programming uncensored with American subtitles. "It's still all about the War of Ideas here, and the American programming on [publicly owned] MBC and Rotana is winning over ordinary Saudis in a way that 'Al Hurra' and other U.S. propaganda never could," the wires reportedly say.

The tactic of exporting American culture, interesting as it is, isn't necessarily new. Writing in 2008 for the Counterterrorism Blog, Jeffrey Breinholt called on the government to do just that. While programming provided by Voice of America ensured outlets got important news and policy discussions, Breinholt suggested going one step further: "Let's give them a heavy dose of what we give our own people, and which makes us happy and wanting more. Not the pro-U.S. propaganda like what was produced in World War II. This would be "The Office," "Desperate Housewives," and "Friday Night Lights," without apologies."

"American counterterrorism efforts need to include more than just law enforcement and military tools, to win over youth in the Third World who are indoctrinated from an early age to hate American values," Breinholt explained, referencing comments made by Yonah Alexander at a Capitol Hill event on February 12, 2008. "For many of them, their daily intellectual diet includes Al Manar, the television station of Hizballah."

Breinholt's solution at the time was simple: "Throw lingerie-clad Eva Longoria at regular Arab viewers, and see how long they want to wear a hijab and insist that stoning is the proper punishment for adultery." If the recently released State department documents are to be believed, Breinholt's advice was heeded.

Jeff Jacoby Takes on the Islamophobia Myth

Accusations that the United States is Islamophobic don't match the statistical reality, according to a recent article by Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby. "The Islamophobia Myth" questions the basis for this oft-repeated claim and concludes that "American's exemplary tolerance is the rule."

Time's August 30^th cover poses the question "Is America Islamophobic" and responds by presenting an anecdotal account which doesn't match up with the FBI's latest compendium of US hate-crimes data or other statistical measurements.

"Where ordinary Americans meet Islam, there is evidence that suspicion and hostility are growing," Time told its readers last summer. "To be a Muslim in America now is to endure slings and arrows against your faith — not just in the schoolyard and the office but also outside your place of worship and in the public square, where some of the country's most powerful mainstream religious and political leaders unthinkingly (or worse, deliberately) conflate Islam with terrorism and savagery."

However, the data presented in the Time article suggests otherwise. Between 2001 and 2010, the number of mosques rose from 1,200 to 1,900, even as attacks by radical Islamists proliferated.

Hate crimes statistics debunk the Islamophobia accusation. Jacoby observed, "Year after year, American Jews are far more likely to be the victims of religious hate crime than members of any other group. That was true even in 2001, by far the worst year for anti-Muslim hate crimes." While "even one hate crime is one too many," data driven analysis suggests Jews are under a much greater threat. Just 9.3 percent, less than 1 in 10 hate crimes committed in 2009 were against Muslims. "By contrast, 70.1 percent were committed against Jews, 6.9 percent were aimed at Catholics or Protestants, and 8.6 percent targeted other religions. Hate crimes driven by anti-Muslim bigotry were outnumbered nearly 8 to 1 by anti-Semitic crimes."

Jacoby notes that just as it is incorrect to say that America is "Judeophobic," even if the date makes a far stronger basis for the conclusion, it is equally incorrect to suggest our country is Islamophobic. Even examples of open bigotry, such as the "Burn the Qur'an" day by a Gainesville pastor, met with "wall-to-wall repudiation" from numerous Christian, Jewish, and secular groups.

Jacoby concludes, "For American Muslims as for American Jews, the tension and hostility are the exception. America's exemplary tolerance is the rule."

Top LeT Leaders Direct Terror from Jail

A leaked diplomatic cable from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton claims top leaders of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e Tayyiba (LeT) continued to run the group's operations from prison.

The Aug. 10, 2009, cable said LeT founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi, the group's operations commander, "continued to run" LeT "despite being detained for their role" in the Mumbai attacks.  Saeed and Lakhvi were the prime suspects in the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that killed 166 people, including six Americans. The U.S. designated LeT in December 2001 and the group was subsequently banned in Pakistan.

Pakistani authorities arrested Lakhvi immediately after the Mumbai attacks and charged him with terrorism offenses.  Saeed, the alleged mastermind behind the attacks, was taken into custody along with Lakhvi but later released without charge.

The cable claimed Lakhvi was in charge of LeT's military operations budget of about $5.2 million while he was in prison. The money was used to purchase "all materials required for operations other than weapons and ammunition," the cable said. The message further claimed Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), an Islamic charity considered an LeT front, is "likely to have used some funds collected in the name of Jamaat-ud-Dawa charitable activities in support of multiple LeT terrorist operations, including the November Mumbai attacks."

The cable also alleged that China opposed U.S. efforts in the United Nations Security Council to put sanctions on JuD before the Mumbai attacks. The message said U.S. efforts were "placed on hold by China at the behest of Pakistan."

State designates Fahd al-Quso

The State Department announced the designation of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) operative Fahd Mohammed Ahmed al-Quso as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. The action was conducted with the United Nations and the Treasury Department and reflects the continuing movement against AQAP's leaders and finances.

Al-Quso has participated in anti-American terrorism for at least the last 10 years. The State Department's designation cites his involvement in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden and his membership in al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula in 2007. He was also added to the FBI's most wanted terrorists list in November 2009 and appeared in a May 2010 AQAP video. In the video, al-Quso threatened attacks on the U.S. homeland, as well as U.S. embassies and naval vessels around the world. Operationally, his capability stems from being a senior leader of AQAP as well as a cell leader.

AQAP has successfully recruited several Americans to fight in Yemen and has inspired terrorist attempts on Americans at home and abroad. Examples of AQAP's reach can be seen its English-language magazine, Inspire. Articles on AQAP and Inspire can be accessed here, here, here, and here.

Wikileaks: Lashkar Plot to Assassinate Indian Minister

A U.S. diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks discusses a plot by the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e Tayyiba (LeT) to assassinate Narendra Modi, the chief minister of the Indian state of Gujarat, soon after the November 2008 Mumbai attacks that resulted in 166 dead, including six Americans.

Modi, who belongs to the Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), has been reported to have allowed Hindu rioters to murder several hundreds of Muslims during the Gujarat riots in February 2002. The riots followed the deaths of dozens of Hindu extremist political activists after an angry Muslim mob set a train carrying the activists on fire. Nearly 800 Muslims and over 250 Hindus were reported to have perished in the ensuing violence. The plot to kill Modi was in "revenge" of the deaths of several hundred Muslims in the riots.

The cable further claimed Lashkar planned to set up bases in the Indian states of Kerala, Karantaka, and Tamil Nadu and also in neighboring Sri Lanka to plot attacks in India.

The plot to kill Modi was conceived by Pakistan-based LeT leader Shafiq Khalfa who tasked Indian operative Sameer Hussein with carrying out the attack. Khafa communicated with Hussein about plans to set up LeT training camps in India and kill Modi in an operation "involving a car," the cable said.

BJP leader Balbir Punj has accused the U.S. of "inaction on the issue," and said it should have informed Indian authorities of the plot.

State: Wikileaks release helps al-Qaida

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley condemned Wikileaks for providing "a group like al-Qaida," with "a targeting list" of U.S. strategic assets around the world. A State Department list of vital facilities, which Crowley refused to name in detail, is at the center of the controversy over Wikileaks and its disclosure of secret American security documents.

In February 2009, U.S. missions abroad provided the State Department with a list of strategic facilities whose loss could damage American national security interests. The directory of locations is part of the National Infrastructure Protection Plan [NIPP], whose goal is the "preventing, deterring, neutralizing, or mitigating" of terrorism and other strikes on American strategic interests.

The list covers a broad range of sites, including communications centers, gas pipelines, and transportation hubs. It also extends to non-traditional facilities such as a cobalt mine in Congo and an anti-snake venom factory in Australia. Many other medical and industrial sites also make the catalog, such as an insulin plant in Denmark and the Ludwigshafen plant of German chemical giant BASF.

Many of the sites are located in remote and highly unprotected regions, opening up a new list of targets which the United States is hard-pressed to protect. For example, the document describes the Nadym gas junction in western Siberia as "the most critical gas facility in the world." As part of the Yamal-Europe pipeline, the gas line extends over 2,607 miles, much of it in remote areas of Siberia and Russia's arctic north.

Middle Eastern sites are also featured on the list. The document notes that Qatar will be the largest source of imported liquefied natural gas by 2012 and also references the Abqaiq facility in Saudi Arabia. In 2006, Al-Qaida mounted an unsuccessful attack on Abqaiq, largest crude oil processing and stabilization plant in the world.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton summed up the concerns about the Wikileaks releases. "So let's be clear: this disclosure is not just an attack on America's foreign policy interests. It is an attack on the international community – the alliances and partnerships, the conversations and negotiations, that safeguard global security and advance economic prosperity," she said. "It puts people's lives in danger, threatens our national security, and undermines our efforts to work with other countries to solve shared problems."

Qaradawi's Soccer Politics

Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, used his most recent weekly sermon to stray from his usual discussion points into some sports commentary—sort of. But this was no ESPN broadcast, and Qaradawi is no Chris Berman.

Using the recent announcement by FIFA that Qatar would host the 2022 World Cup as a launching pad for his sermon, Qaradawi first expressed how overjoyed he was to hear the news, before managing to find a way back to his usual rant against the United States and Zionists. Most of all, Qaradawi was delighted that in securing the soccer championship, the small Gulf nation had beaten out the United States.

While claiming not to be a fan of soccer, Qaradawi rallied behind the World Cup cause because he deemed any American defeat to be positive news for Muslims. He told listeners to Friday's prayers how he "prayed to Allah to make America lose and make Qatar win." And once the outcome was publically announced, the sheikh celebrated this "slap on the face of the United States."

Qaradawi claimed he was particularly driven to the cause following disparaging comments toward Qatar made by President Obama in the wake of the selection committee's decision. Obama's choice to call Qatar's selection the "wrong decision" showed America's "bad policy" and meddling, Qaradawi said.

To the Doha-based Brotherhood cleric, Obama's disappointment was another sign of American greed. Obama's comment "indicates that America wants to monopolize everything…They want to monopolize politics, economy, weapons, soccer, sports, and everything, and they do want to leave us anything." Continuing, he stated: "They disdain us and they want to monopolize everything. Therefore, if we win anything, they say this is bad and wrong."

This is not the first time that the soccer pitch has served as a political battlefield. In fact, there has been a long history of politics and sport colliding. A recent documentary also highlights one recent case in which controversial Israeli political issues played out through the nation's competitive soccer league.

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