Iranian Persecution of Christians Alleged

Two Iranian women have been jailed for practicing Christianity in the Islamic Republic, a Washington, D.C. watchdog group that monitors persecution of Christians reports.

The women were arrested by state security officials March 5, the International Christian Concern reported in a news release. Marzieh Amairizadeh Esmaeilabad and Maryam Rustampoor are accused of being 'anti-government activists,' and are being held on $400,000 bond, the ICC release said. They are being held in Tehran's infamous Evin prison. The release said both women need "urgent medical attention."

In the statement, ICC African Regional Manager Jonathan Racho said:

"Iran's persecution of Christian minorities violates the fundamental freedom of its citizens to worship freely. The international community has obligations to speak up for the rights of the persecuted Iranian Christians. We call upon Iranian officials to stop mistreating Marzieh and Maryam and release them from prison."

Persecution of Christians in Iran has increased since dozens of conversions. Some who have been arrested were tortured, the ICC said. For more information on the ICC, visit their website here.

Italian Parliamentarian Discusses Islamist Death Threats

Radical Islam's intolerance of criticism is on display in Italy, where a member of parliament is openly describing life under a barrage of death threats.

Souad Sbai's indiscretions include her failure to wear a veil in public and her staunch advocacy of women's rights. Three North African men have been charged with threatening Sbai, who was elected last year after running the Association of Moroccan Women in Italy. But the threats continue. According to a Reuters report:

Since entering politics, the threats have increased dramatically, she says, blaming radical imams who she believes are telling their followers, wrongly, that she insults Islam.

"I've never talked about Islam," she said. "I've spoken about Muslims who treat women badly. And this is a crime?"

Apparently, it is to some.

Sailor Sentenced to 10 Years for Fleet Leak

A federal judge sentenced Navy signalman Hassan Abu-Jihaad to 10 years in prison on Friday for sending classified information about his fleet's travel plans to a terror-supporting website.

Abu-Jihaad served on the destroyer Benfold. He was charged after British authorities found the fleet's plans on a floppy disk in a bedroom drawer of an Azzam Publications official in 2003. Investigators later discovered that Abu-Jihaad purchased videos from Azzam Publications, which prosecutors say recruited mujahideen and raised money for the Taliban in Afghanistan and for Chechen rebels.

The disk found at Azzam offices, and traced back to Abu-Jihaad, included an estimated date when the fleet Benfold was part of would pass through the narrow Straits of Hormuz. One file, showing the expected formation included an instruction that "They have nothing to stop a small craft with RPG etc. except their Seals' stinger missiles."

Abu-Jihaad received the maximum sentence from U.S. District Judge Mark R. Kravitz. Earlier, Kravitz tossed out a second conviction of providing material support to terrorists, which jurors convicted Abu-Jihaad of doing after last year's trial in New Haven, CT. The Associated Press reported:

"I cannot really overstate the seriousness of this crime," Kravitz said. The leak "does constitute a fundamental betrayal of your country and of your oath. You endangered your colleagues, you endangered your vessel and other vessels and other sailors, and you endangered your country."

That echoes the argument by federal prosecutors, who urged Kravitz to issue the maximum sentence in a sentencing memorandum:

"By leaking classified information about U.S. Navy ship movements and outlining theirperceived vulnerabilities to attack, Hassan Abu-Jihaad was trying to help foreign terrorists replicate the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole. It is hard to say which aspect of his crime is the most serious. Abu-Jihaad betrayed the trust his country placed in him by granting him access to classified information, when he released it to a website that advocated violent jihad against the United States. Hassan Abu-Jihaad is a traitor, and he should be sentenced accordingly."

Following his 2004 indictment, a Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) officials challenged the allegations against Abu-Jihaad.

Abu-Jihaad "was very surprised to hear he might be connected to anything related to terrorism," CAIR-Arizona Executive Director Deedra Abboud told the Los Angeles Times. "He's now scared he might get picked up for something he can't imagine being a part of."

Abu-Jihaad has appealed his remaining conviction.

Germany Fears Election Attacks

Acknowledging that Germany is home to hundreds of "potentially dangerous" Islamists, a senior German Interior Ministry official says he is worried terrorists may try to disrupt September's general election with attacks. As many as 100 Islamists are considered dangerous, Deputy Interior Minister August Hanning told the German daily Tagesspiegel last week. Among them are between 60 and 80 "Jihadists" who have returned to Germany after undergoing training in camps located near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Hanning, who formerly headed Germany's foreign intelligence network, the BND, said that in addition to the hard core of 100, another 300 Islamist radicals in Germany posed a "potential" threat.

Two years ago, authorities uncovered an al Qaeda plot to detonate car bombs near targets including Frankfurt Airport; the U.S. military's Ramstein Airbase; German civilian airports; a pub; and a nightclub. Germany has 3,500 troops in Afghanistan and several recent videos cite that as a justification for possible attacks. Some of those threats allude to Germany's upcoming elections, along with references to the March 11, 2004, bombings of Madrid commuter trains in which 191 people were killed. This has Hanning worried:

"The threats do not mention the elections directly. But for Jihadists in Pakistan the election is important because it will determine Germany's foreign policy in the future…. We remember that the attacks in Madrid in 2004 were carried out a few days before the election in Spain. …That really did affect the outcome of the elections….Al Qaeda sees this as a model for success."

The Madrid bombings, which occurred just three days before Spain went to the polls, arguably helped change the course of the country's 2004 elections. Prior to the bombings, incumbent Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar (a staunch ally of the Bush Administration) held a narrow lead in the polls. Aznar erroneously suggested that the Basque ETA (which had until then been the number one source of terrorism in Spain) had carried out the attacks. His opponent, Jose Maria Luis Zapatero, a leftist critic of the Bush Administration's policies in Iraq, cited Aznar's reaction as evidence that he was out of touch with reality and won the March 14 election.

Galloway Addresses Canadian Audience Despite Ban

British parliamentarian George Galloway spoke to about 300 people at a Toronto church Monday night. But he had to do it via video link after a judge rejected an appeal of a Canadian immigration service decision to bar Galloway from entering the country.

Galloway spoke defiantly about his case, arguing it "spectacularly backfired" by generating media attention. It is important to note, however, that the decision was not about Galloway's speech, but rather his actions in support of Hamas. Canada considers Hamas a terrorist organization and has banned sending it money or other goods.

Canadian officials cited his trip to Gaza earlier this month in explaining why they would not allow Galloway to enter the country:

"Hamas is a listed terrorist organization in Canada. There are reasonable grounds to believe you have provided financial support for Hamas. Specifically, we have information that indicates you organized a convoy worth over one million British pounds in aid and vehicles, and personally donated vehicles and financing to Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya."

Galloway, who leads the Respect Party in England, said he was trying to give aid to Palestinian people and that "I am not a supporter of Hamas but I am a supporter of democracy." Some organizers of Galloway's Canadian speaking tour acknowledged the proceeds would help fund "Galloway's Gaza aid caravan."

Judge Luc Martineau's ruling largely was based on procedure, and not on whether Galloway had aided Hamas. Galloway could still be heard by Canadians using other modes of communication such as a web link, Martineau said. He also noted:

"The admission of a foreign national to this country is a privilege determined by statute, regulation or otherwise, and not a matter of right."

Read all of Martineau's ruling here.

On Sunday, Galloway spoke in person at a fundraiser in Falls Church, VA for the Muslim Link, a newspaper in the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore area. He was joined by Mahdi Bray, executive director the Muslim American Society's Freedom Foundation. Last week, the Investigative Project on Terrorism uncovered Bray's felony record from the 1980s and showed how his get-out-the-vote efforts may be tainted by his own questionable voter registration.

Miami Drug Case Has Hezbollah Tie

An arrest in Colombia earlier this month seems to support concerns that Hezbollah is working with Mexican and South American drug cartels to establish a better foothold in the West. El Nuevo Herald, the Spanish-language edition of the Miami Herald, reported on the arrest of Jose Alberto Henao Jaramillo, who is wanted in a drug and money laundering case in Miami.

That case already netted more than 100 arrests by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, El Nuevo Herald reported. Among them is Chekri Mahmoud Harb, who goes by the name "Taliban," and has alleged Hezbollah connections. The paper cites a Colombian government intelligence report which said "part of the money was presumably distributed for terrorist activities of groups like Hezbollah."

Harb is charged with four conspiracy counts related to drug trafficking.

It's a tangible sign amid growing concerns that Hezbollah is tapping South and Central American drug routes to extend its reach closer to the American border.

Muslim Coalition Supports FBI Freeze of CAIR

An advertisement in the new issue of the Weekly Standard is most welcome to those who argue the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) inflates its support among American Muslims. The ad notes that U.S. government officials have been "mostly baffled by extremism among American Muslims," a state best illustrated by past, warm relations with CAIR:

"We, the undersigned American Muslims, have long known the true character of CAIR and its allies."

The FBI broke off most contacts with CAIR last summer and has indicated "certain issues" must be resolved by CAIR leaders before its access is restored. Those issues appear connected to evidence in the terror-finance trial of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) which ended with the conviction of five men on 108 counts related to Hamas-support last November. Sentencing is scheduled for late May.

Evidence in the trial places CAIR founders in pivotal conversations among members of a secret Hamas-support network in the U.S. Other transcripts indicate CAIR was a direct outgrowth of that network.

The advertisement It was placed by the Center for Islamic Pluralism and signed by four center officials – President Kemal Silay, Executive Director Stephen Suleyman Schwartz, fellow Imaad Malik, Nawab Agha Mousvi and Southern Director Jalal Zuberi. Joining them were Supna Zaidi, an assistant director at Islamist Watch, M. Zuhdi Jasser, founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, Khalim Massoud of Muslims Against Sharia, Kiran Sayyed of the Council for Democracy and Tolerance, and Shia.Protest@yahoo.com.

Under the heading "American Muslims Commend FBI for Rejection of CAIR," the group explains the reasons it supports the FBI move. Among them:

· " We observe their commitment to radical aims, their attempts to chill free speech by calling critics of radical Islam "Islamophobes," and their false, ugly accusations against moderate American Muslims who disagree with their agenda.

· We reject any claim that CAIR and its supporters are legitimate civil liberties advocates or appropriate partners between the U.S. government and American Muslims."

Click here to see the entire ad.

Iran's Desired Expanded Presence in Mexico

Two new reports show that, while America seems understandably fixated on Mexico's internal drug war, there's mounting evidence that Iran and its terrorist proxy Hezbollah are burrowing into the country. In a blog posting Friday, Todd Bensman of the San Antonio Express-News reported that Mexico welcomed Iranian emissaries late last month. They agreed to expand "political, economic, and cultural" ties.

Mexico's newfound embrace of Iranian investment appears to be an outgrowth of the Obama Administration's attempt to thaw U.S. relations with Tehran. State Department officials he contacted knew nothing of the Mexican-Iranian talks. A spokesman did read a prepared, but largely empty, statement:

"Many countries in the hemisphere have relations with Iran and it is their sovereign right to pursue relations with any country that they choose."

National security analysts were mixed about the degree this poses a threat to America. Columbia University professor and former National Security Council staffer Gary Sick shrugged it off. But former FBI Deputy Assistant Director Oliver "Buck" Revell, told Bensman that Tehran could use a Mexico base to target the United States from Central America. The lawless nature of the area, caused by the drug war, could let Iran "build a counterespionage capability" on the American border, Bensman writes.

That already may have happened. The Washington Times on Friday reported Hezbollah is using Mexican drug routes to smuggle drugs and people into the U.S. The Times quoted the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's recently retired assistant administrator and chief of operations saying Hezbollah – Iran's proxy – is using "the same criminal weapons smugglers, document traffickers and transportation experts as the drug cartels." That assessment was backed up by six American law enforcement, counterterrorism and defense experts. As the newspaper reports:

"One U.S. counterterrorism official said that while 'there's reason to believe that [Hezbollah members] have looked at the southern border to enter the U.S. ... to date their success has been extremely limited.'

However, another U.S. counterterrorism official confirmed that the U.S. is watching closely the links between Hezbollah and drug cartels and said it is 'not a good picture.'"

Read Bensman's report here. Sara A. Carter's story in the Times is here.

FBI Director Vague on CAIR Freeze

FBI Director Robert Mueller testified Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. He encouraged lawmakers to renew the Patriot Act, which he said has helped national security investigations.

U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) pressed Mueller for details about the FBI's decision last year to cut off contacts with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Kyl and other senators wrote to Mueller last month to praise the decision and clarify whether exceptions existed and whether the policy extended to field offices as well as FBI headquarters. Mueller has not yet responded, which prompted the following exchange:

MUELLER: I prefer not to discuss any particular organization within the Muslim community. I can tell you that where we have an issue with a particular organization, we'll take what steps are necessary to resolve that issue.

KYL: Well, whatever the policy is, which I gather you will describe, is that a bureau-wide policy? Does it apply to the regional offices, district offices and so on?

MUELLER: We try to adapt, when we have situations where we have an issue with one or more individuals, as opposed to institution, or an institution, large, to identify the specificity of those particular individuals or issues that need to be addressed.

We will generally have -- individuals may have some maybe leaders in the community who we have no reason to believe whatsoever are involved in terrorism, but may be affiliated, in some way, shape or form, with an institution about which there is some concern, and which we have to work out a separate arrangement.

We have to be sensitive to both the individuals, as well as the organization, and try to resolve the issues that may prevent us from working with a particular organization.

KYL: Even though you've said you prefer not to talk about specific organizations in this hearing, I guess the question still remains whether the information that we received that this particular organization was no longer one with which you were having a direct relationship -- is that information incorrect?

MUELLER: I think what I'd prefer to do, if I could, is provide that letter to you where I can be more precise in terms of...

KYL: All right, that's fair enough.

MUELLER: ... and have some opportunity to review exactly specifically what I say.

KYL: All right. I appreciate that. Let me maybe carry it a little bit further into an easier area for you.

The Holy Land case also dealt with the Muslim Brotherhood and I just wanted to quote from one government exhibit, Exhibit No. 3-85, from that trial, quote -- and this is the -- it's also known as Ikhwan. Quote, "The Ikhwan must understand that their role in America is a kind of grand jihad, in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and sabotaging its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God's religion is made victorious," end of quote.

Are members of the Muslim Brotherhood or the organization itself active at all in the United States?

MUELLER: I would say, generally, we have investigations that would address that issue, yes.

KYL: And do you have a policy about meeting with that organization or its members?

MUELLER: I would not say we have a written policy, but I can tell you that before we -- that in the course of our liaison activities, we certainly search our indices to make certain that when we meet with individuals, that they're not under investigation and that we can appropriately maintain liaison relationships with them.

U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) wrote his own letter to the FBI seeking similar information. Like Kyl, he's still waiting for a direct answer, too.

Why Hate Speech There is a Problem Here

One cleric called the Holocaust "divine punishment" and labeled Jews "Allah's enemies." Another urged Muslims to start "waging war against the Jews, who are devils in human form."

Hate speech on Arab media outlets is all too common. Writer Nonie Darwish argues Western media need to be more aggressive in calling it out since satellite television receivers are bringing the message to our neighbors' homes:

"We must never underestimate the power of hate propaganda, because, quite simply, it works. Believe it or not, if you grow up hearing 'holy' cursing day in and day out, it can feel and sound normal, justified and even good. Evil, especially coming from religious leaders, is powerful especially if no one opposes it. That is why I decided to end my subscription to satellite Arab TV, simply because I could not take it any more. I now rely on Memri.org for information on Arab media."

Memri, the Middle East Media Research Institute, devotes its attention on Arab media outlets, documenting examples of the kind of extremism Darwish references. Click here to see an Egyptian clerics call Jews "the slayers of the prophets" and responsible for World Wars I and II, the Civil War and others. Hating them isn't about a territorial dispute, they said, but a matter of pure faith.

Click here to read about the death of Assud, a talking bunny who became the latest loveable children's character on Palestinian TV who, just before dying at the hands of Israelis, urges children to wage jihad:

"My Will is That You Tell Our Beloved Children Never to Forget Jerusalem..., Al-Aqsa, the Prisoners, or the Refugees... Tell Them Assud Died a Martyr's Death."

Israel's Intelligence & Terrorism Information Center just issued a report on the subject of hate speech on Arab media which you can read here or here.

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