Chechnya's Kadyrov Condones 'Honor Killings'

The one thing that can be said for communist rule under the Soviets was the fact that they managed to maintain control over the Islamist elements in their midst. No forced veils for women, no gender separation, women had equal rights. Yes, there were other major issues regarding lack of freedom (including religious), but that lack was not imposed by religion.  But as is happening in Africa and the Middle East, the rise of hardline Islam in Muslim-majority countries that used to be secular, like Chechnya (when it was part of the former Soviet Union),  is becoming problematic.

In fact, over the past five years, things have gotten dire for women in Chechnya under the leadership of President Ramzan Kadyrov, whose Mufti, former pro-separatist father, Akhmad Kadyrov, was president for a year until he was blown up in 2004. Women are being forced to wear the hijab (veil), there is government support for polygamy, alcohol is banned and now the Chechen government has formally condoned 'honor killings' against women. In fact they are advocating it. Women are turning up dead all over Chechnya, and Kadyrov's response: they had "loose morals" and so they deserved to die. That's because Kadyrov believes women should remain barefoot and pregnant (a typical fundamentalist Muslim belief) since women are the property of their husbands.
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW) Kadyrov has been quoted as saying:

I have the right to criticize my wife. She doesn’t [have the right to criticize me]. With us [in Chechen society], a wife is a housewife. A woman should know her place. A woman should give her love to us [men]… She would be [man’s] property. And the man is the owner. Here, if a woman does not behave properly, her husband, father, and brother are responsible. According to our tradition, if a woman fools around, her family members kill her… That’s how it happens, a brother kills his sister or a husband kills his wife… As a president, I cannot allow for them to kill. So, let women not wear shorts…

Here in Chechnya if a woman is running around, if a man is running around with her, then the both of them are killed. According to the information available, there was a woman who was “working” with the killed [women] – she wanted to take them away from the [Chechen] Republic, [she] was in the process of obtaining travel passports for them in order to sell them to brothels [abroad]. It’s being said that the women’s relatives [found out and] killed them… I’m simply talking about [our] customs. Ask anyone, even the youngest boy, “What are you gonna do if your sister starts running around?” Anyone will tell you, “I’ll kill her!”

He has also been quoted as saying he wants to make Chechnya “more Islamic than the Islamists.”

Even though Kadyrov is credited with bringing some stability to Chechnya, and was actually nominated by Vladimir Putin for president, he obviously has no respect for Russian law.

Some observers say Mr. Kadyrov’s attempt to impose Islamic law violates the Russian Constitution, which guarantees equal rights for women and a separation of church and state.

“We are a traditional, conservative society, but the government has gone overboard,” said Lipkhan Bazaeva, head of the Women's Dignity Center, a nongovernmental organization promoting women’s rights in Grozny. “They are declaring unacceptable limits on women — as an individual, she has no rights even if her husband beats her, despite Russian laws.”

And the human rights violations that are rampant in Chechnya will remain so, since most activists are too afraid to do anything about it after Natasha Estemirova was murdered.

“You hear about these cases almost every day,” said a local human rights defender, who asked that her name not be used out of fear for her safety. “It is hard for me to investigate this topic, yet I worked on it with [human rights activist] Natasha [Estemirova] for a while. But, I can’t anymore. I am too scared now. I’ve almost given up, really.”

Estemirova, who angered Chechen authorities with reports of torture, abductions and extrajudicial killings, was found in the woods in 2009 in the neighboring region of Ingushetia with gunshot wounds to the head and chest. Her killer or killers have not been found.

But it hasn't stopped the young ones from flouting the strict rules.

Milana, a ninth-grader in Grozny, wears thick eyeliner, dons tight miniskirts, smokes cigarettes and dates boys: all things a proper Muslim girl is forbidden to do in Chechnya.

She said she has heard it from her father countless times: A Chechen girl who loses her virginity before marriage is a prostitute, and Allah will punish her.

“If only my parents knew some of the things I did,” she said with a giggle. “My parents are too strict with me, but it is like that here.”

Analysts say dating can be an escape for teenagers such as Milana who often live double lives.

“It is a great temptation to break from tradition when they are away from their family, said Ms. Bazaeva. “They have a good time, but it is not without consequences, not in Chechnya.”

Some kids marry early to get around the strict rules, like 20-year-old Abu-Khadzh Idrisov who got married at age 14 so he could have sex. Divorced a year later, he remarried at 18 to a girl he kidnapped- a common tradition in Pakistan.

He spotted his future wife at a park in Grozny and, with the help of his friends, kidnapped her.

“When I married her, I honestly knew only two things: her name and the school she studied at. We talked together once,” he recalled. “But we have traditions and extremely strict rules in Chechnya, and you can’t just ignore them. I carry my family’s name, and if I tarnish it, I will have problems.”

I suppose it's easy for a family belonging to a religion that encourages having lots of babies to pop off one of its own. What's the loss of one or two children when they probably have plenty more.

Source: Washington Times

Grand Mufti Of Saudi Arabia Calls For The Destruction Of All Churches In Region

Not to be outdone by Kuwait's decision to ban churches from being built in that Gulf state, Saudi Arabia's head religious honcho, the Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, has called for the total destruction of "all the churches of the region." According to him, it's "necessary".

And yes, the Christians in the Middle East (especially Cairo and Beirut) are furious, but have they gone out on a rampage burning down mosques and killing Muslims? No, at least not yet. Had this been the Catholic Pope calling on the destruction of all mosques in the West, the Middle East would have been on fire, and the Pope would have a fatwa on his head.

But non-Muslims are a far more tolerant, civilized lot, and one Christian man in Beirut had this to say:

“I mean from a regular, end of the street mosque, this stuff happens all the time, but for the Grand Mufti of a country to say it is simply shocking.”

Because Islam is so tolerant, Abdullah believes (as do many Muslims) that their religion is the only one that should be allowed in the Arabian Peninsula, and he even encouraged Kuwaiti delegates (while speaking in that tiny country) to destroy all their churches, too.

Not all Muslims share those sentiments:

According to religious scholars, however, even during the Prophet Mohamed’s time, Christians and Jews were allowed to practice their faith openly and freely. Christians in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan largely have open access to churches and places to pray, although regulations in Egypt have been condemned by Christian leaders and activists.

“What we see with this is the turn toward ultra conservatism in the region,” said Egyptian Coptic Christian Noha, adding that “what we need to do now is bring together people and show this mufti that us Christians and Muslims can live and share the same street. And that it is a right granted by Islam for others to pray in their own place.”

Initially, Kuwaiti MP Osama al-Munawer had wanted to do the same thing with the churches in his country. Heck, he even announced those plans on Twitter, no less.  But then changed his mind and said only new non-Islamic buildings of worship would be banned, the churches could stay.

I wonder if we should do the same thing in the West- ban all new construction of mosques.

So much for religious tolerance.

So Much For Free Speech: Israel Ambassador Michael Oren Heckled By Muslim Students At UC Irvine

Free speech and civilized debate is not alive and well and living in these United States of America, if what happened at UC Irvine several weeks ago is any indication.

Israel's Ambassador to the United States, American born author, scholar and historian Michael B. Oren, was invited to speak at U.C. Irvine regarding U.S./Israel relations, from a historical perspective. Naturally it was opposed by the Muslim Students Union, and there was anticipation that there might be some disruptions, but what university officials had hoped would be a respectful albeit spirited discussion, turned into major disruptive, one-sided protest. Oren was incessantly heckled by the Muslim students as he addressed an audience of community members, students and faculty on February 8. He was barely able to get through his speech without being rudely interrupted. Every few minutes a student would stand up and shout some predetermined, anti-Israeli invective including "Michael Oren, propagating murder is not an expression of free speech!" and other, often unintelligible, words of protest. These verbal attacks were immediately followed by a loud cacophony of shrieks, hollers and clapping. Each outburst was followed by admonitions from both Oren and faculty members for civility and respect, which obviously was not part of their agenda.

The police escorted the first heckler out, but thereafter the punks proudly made their way to the police to be escorted out. Eventually the rest of the large, ragtag group of young males and females, both with and without hijab, left en masse to continue their disruptions outdoors. 11 or 12 of the students were arrested although they were later released. Neither the threat of being arrested nor being suspended or thrown out of school deterred them from their class-less actions. Oren, on the other hand, was a class act throughout the whole ordeal. The students had been told they would have the opportunity to ask questions and debate the issues once the speech was over, but they obviously had no intention of doing that.

What one woman was quoted as saying pretty much sums up the whole situation: “Every time there’s an event they’re opposed to, they disrupt it,” said Pam Chozen, a Laguna Beach resident who said she felt concerned for her personal safety. “No one from the other side would think of disrupting an MSU event.”

And so it is. We afford them their right to free speech, but it's not reciprocated. That has to change!

More Hamas Lies- Did Israel's Mossad Really Kill Mahmoud al-Mabhouh?

Why anyone would bother to believe information that surfaces from the land of Palestine, especially from the duplicitous mouths of the Hamas leadership, truly baffles me. Time and again they have proven to be consummate liars, and yet people are willing to believe. They have categorically denied the use of human shields, when there has been much proof to the contrary. They recently stated they would accept Israel's right to exist and turned around, a day or so later, and claimed they would never recognize Israel, which is the more plausible statement. Anyone who has read the Hamas Charter knows full well that they have no intention of nullifying the charter, which states very clearly their goals of eliminating Israel.

"Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it." (The Martyr, Imam Hassan al-Banna, of blessed memory).

They have broken ceasefire after ceasefire, claimed they are not guilty of war crimes, as per the Goldstone report, asserting that their thousands of Qassam rockets were aimed at military targets. At least Human Rights Watch called them on that one.

And now we have the latest fib filtering out of Gaza, although this one is quite laughable though intriguing at the same time. One of their head goons has died. The question is how? There are several different tales concerning his demise, but which is the truth? The first 2 you will find in various mainstream sources, the 3rd comes from a lesser known Palestinian media source. You tell me which you believe.

First of all, what we do know is that Mahmoud al-Mabhuh, or al-Mabhouh (or however people want to spell it) co-founder of Hamas' Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades , living in exile in Syria, is dead. He was found in his hotel room in Dubai. No loss there. How he died is a totally different story. The majority of news sources have published Hamas' claim, on January 29, that Israel's Mossad was responsible for assassinating al-Mabhouh on January 20, 2010. The method varies from electrocution to poisoning and suffocation, some include all 3.

So what took them 9 days or so to announce his death? As expected they have an excuse, as lame as it might be. Izzat Rashaq, another Hamas top dog living in Syria told the AP :

...that Hamas delayed the announcement about al-Mabhouh's death because it was trying to "reach the Israeli agents who implemented this operation."

Right.

Now this is where it gets interesting. The following announcement was published in a little known Palestinian news site, Maan News, on January 2oth, and updated on the 21st:

Gaza- Ma'an – Hamas' armed wings the Al-Qassam Brigades announced the death of its co-founder in exile Mahmoud Al-Mabhuh died of terminal cancer in a hospital in the UAE on Wednesday.

The Al-Qassam leader, a refugee living the Jabalia Refugee Camp until he left Gaza for the UAE, was behind a mission that successfully captured two Israeli soldiers, a statement from the brigades said.

Al-Mabhuh was captured two Israeli soldiers, Elan Sa’dun and Avi Sbortas who were captured at the in the early 1990s by Al-Qassam fighters, the soldiers were killed in military action following their capture," the statement said.

I'm not sure how long it will remain up, once this information gets out, if it gets out, but I have saved it for posterity.



So, which was it? Cancer? It has been reported that he was also ill, though Hamas has kept that under wraps. Or was it electrocution and/or poison? The latter, of course, being the more dramatic and appealing alternative to plain old cancer. Plus it would suit their militaristic goals far better than if he were to have died from a disease rather than at the hands of the evil Israelis.
They gain no traction from a simple death from, say, prostrate cancer . If Mossad was responsible, his death could be a rallying cry for more death and destruction. Blaming Israel, of course, gives them ample justification to hit back, which is exactly what they plan on doing. Khaled Mashaal had this to say:

"We will retaliate for the blood of this man who fought you (Israel) for 30 years, from one battle to the next, and was arming the resistance and supporting it night and day," Mashaal said while standing next to al-Mabhouh's coffin at his funeral in Syria.

"You (Israelis) have hurt us with his killing, but it is an ongoing war between us," he said. "This is an open war."

Not that they need much to justify their ongoing war against the Israelis, since they do that unprovoked.

It really doesn't matter how the man died, he's a terrorist, he deserved to be put to rest whether through an act of God or Mossad. What matters is that

1. It just proves people are willing to believe all of Hamas' flagrant lies.
2. The media, once again, has failed to vet the information they get from consistent liars.

An Israeli blogger found the Maan news item by a few simple google searches. How hard is it for the mainstream media to do the same before publishing what could potentially be a flat out lie.

Religious Hypocrisy In Action: Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei Loves Him Some Caviar and Dirty Jokes

So, Iran's grand religious poobah Ayatollah Khamenei loves trout and caviar! Who would have thought. Now, trout is pretty commonplace, at least in the U.S., but caviar? Excuse me, but that stuff is dang expensive, so why the heck is Khamenei chowing down on caviar when the people of Iran aren't doing so great economically speaking. And that's not the only major indulgence, according to a defector from Khamenei's private guard who spilled the beans on the religious leader.

A catalogue of the private opulence and eccentric tastes of 70-year-old Ayatollah Khamenei and his family has been compiled by Iran's opposition Green Movement from the accounts of the defector, who is said to be in hiding in France.

Smart man to be hiding in France; we all know what happens to people who criticize the Iranian regime. Although I'm not sure how safe he will be. So, other than his penchant for caviar and trout, he is also

... an avid hoarder of collectables from bejewelled pipes to fine horses; and that he suffers regular bouts of depression which are treated in part by audiences with a mid-ranking mullah who tells vulgar jokes.

Living a double life as an austere theocrat in public, and an epicure in private- no wonder he's depressed. And vulgar jokes? Ha! I guess dirty jokes are in and Prozac is out. And that doesn't sound particularly pious to be using vulgar jokes as a form of therapy. And the man's a collector of fine (and obviously expensive) things to boot. He owns 170 antique walking sticks and at least 100 of the finest horses in Iran, not to mention his palaces- all 6 of them.

Ayatollah Khamenei is claimed to have accumulated a sprawling private court that stretches across six palaces, including Niavaran, the former resident of the Shah in Tehran. Two of the palaces - Niavaran and Vakilabad - are equipped with deep, reinforced concrete nuclear bunkers said to be capable of withstanding nuclear attack. A fully functioning hospital is overseen by a former health minister.

Then we have the following:

Claims from three intelligence officials, who have also fled Iran, have additionally documented the Khamenei family's wide-reaching business connections, including interests in European manufacturers, African mobile phone companies and international commodities markets.

You wonder where all their money is stashed. Switzerland, probably. Or the Cayman Islands. But the opposition Green Movement's exiled leader, film director Mohsen Makmalbaf seems to have information regarding his investments and wants the West to act on that info.

Mr Makmalbaf claimed the Green Movement had gathered information about the Khamenei family's investments abroad. "If the Western governments are serious enough in putting pressure on the regime by applying economic sanctions, then they should follow these leads and find these bank accounts and confiscate their deposits to be returned to the Iranian people at a later time," he said.

Before defecting, the bodyguard was one of a 200 personal security force for Khameini. I suppose you'd need that many when you are so loved. The fact that he denied rumours that Khameini also indulges in opium, which seem to be pretty widespread in Iran, seems to lend credence to his claims regarding the Ayatollah's other excesses.

None of this is surprising, of course, considering most of the ruling elite in authoritarian, totalitarian, communist, Islamic or other oppressive regimes always prosper while the population suffers.

There's nothing worse than religious hypocrisy.

Toronto Gaza Freedom March

My buddy BlazingCatFur, from up north took his camera and attended the Toronto "Gaza Freedom March", and the usual rag tag liberal loons attended. Thankfully a large contingency of pro-Israel demonstrators attended to counter protest. But it boggles the mind how people would rather support a bunch of terrorist, Islamic thugs than a freedom-loving democracy. How can they be so blinded to the truth?

Here we have a self-loathing Jew.

And here are those who seem to have no problem with Hamas/Palestinian barbarism. Let's see: bombing Israeli civilians, using civilians as human shields, sending their children off as suicide bombers. How very civilized.

Islamic Tolerance- 59 % of Muslim Turks OPPOSE meetings of OTHER religions

Muslims rabidly defend their tolerance of other religions (I have often debated them) and yet in mostly secular Turkey, a survey conducted in 2008 shows well over 50% of the Muslim-dominated country opposes adherents of other religions openly worshipping and sharing their faith.

Fully 59 percent of those surveyed said non-Muslims either “should not” or “absolutely should not” be allowed to hold open meetings where they can discuss their ideas. Fifty-four percent said non-Muslims either “should not” or “absolutely should not” be allowed to publish literature that describes their faith.

The study conducted by member nations of the International Social Survey Program (ISSP) in 2008 (and to be published in 2010) also found that 40% of Turks (90% of whom are Sunni Muslims)

had “very negative” or “negative” views of Christians. In the random survey, 60 percent of those polled said there is one true religion.

And we know what that "one true religion" is for Muslims, and it's not Christianity or Judaism.

The ISSP is an international organization that commissions various polls and surveys (that are political or social in nature) from its 43 member-nations. Turkey was the only Muslim country that participated in this particular study.

Although 42% claimed they believed in religious tolerance, 49% said they "absolutely" or "most likely" would not

support a political party that accepted people from another religion.

A paltry 13 percent had a “very positive,” view of Christians, while 7 percent had a “positive” view. The article in Compass Direct News does not mention views on other religions, but I'm positive the tolerance level for Jews, in particular, would be far less, or non-existent.

The study in Turkey was conducted at Sabanci University by several professors, and according to one of them, Ali Çarkoglu, most of the blame for religious intolerance can be firmly placed on the educational system

...which mandates religious studies for both junior high school and high school students – classes in which Christians and Jews “are not even mentioned” or are portrayed as “the others,” Çarkoglu said.“That instills in these students a severe point of view of intolerance,” he added.

Of course, this isn't anything new or surprising. It happens all over the Middle East and in Muslim-majority countries; even in Muslim schools in this country and elsewhere!

So while Muslims worldwide cry foul on the banning of Minarets in Switzerland, and piss and moan about intolerance, they are far too blind and in denial to admit their own massive intolerance.