Al-Houthis Desecrate Quran, Yemen Sunnis Outraged

Muslims are at each other's throats again, this time in Yemen. The Sunni Salafis over there are infuriated with the Shia al-Houthi militants over the desecration of a Quran. Yes, they desecrate their own holy books, as witnessed in a video of a dead Salafi being dragged by al-Houthi extremists. Apparently, a man in Sana'a saw the video posted somewhere on-line, noticed the Quran dropping from the dead man's pocket, and subsequently being trampled on. According to the Yemen Observer, the man said that

...  he felt utterly disgusted with al-Houthis, stressing further that the move was a declaration of war against every respectful Muslim. “The Quran is our heart and soul, walking on it equates to insulting our beloved Prophet, his teachings and God himself. Surely our clerics will issue a fatwa condemning the culprits. Those men should be tried for apostasy,” said Abdullah Goorgoor.

Hello, the al-Houthis are also Muslims, and the Quran is their heart and soul, as well.

I haven't been able to track down the video, so it's not clear whether the trampling was deliberate or not, though that doesn't seem to matter much to religious fanatics. We know how outraged they became when a few of our soldiers in Afghanistan inadvertently burned some Qurans which had extremist messages written all over them, which is desecration in and of itself. But they're not smart enough to distinguish the difference.

But the al-Houthis and Salafist Sunnis have been battling for the heart and soul of  northern Yemen for a long time:

Al-Houthi militants, a group of Shia Muslim which advocates a return to the ancestral rule of the Imams have been enthralled in a war with Salafists, a group of hard-liner Sunni Muslims calling for a strict application of the Scriptures; both factions seeking to control Yemen northern territories.
Al-Houthis which famously fought the government back in 2004-2009 in a lengthy and bloody war, used last year’s unrest to awaken its army, finding in Teheran an enthusiastic ally against the Saudis, and hence Sunni hegemony in the Peninsula.

Some are afraid this 'desecration' incident will flame the fires of sectarianism, not that that's a big surprise.  Yemeni political analyst Ahmed al-Sofi said:

“Yemenis do not take lightly to religiously driven insult, especially when it comes to its most sacred and revered book, the Quran. Unless some apologies are formulated, Salafists will retaliate in the most violent manner possible as it constitutes for them a clear call for Jihad [holy war].”

Ironically, the leader of the al-Houthis, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, vociferously condemned the Bagram Quran desecration, calling on all Muslims to  stage anti-American "anger protests", and that accepting a US apology would be "of no benefit." Does that mean they have no intention of apologizing to the Salafists?
If it was indeed desecrated, where are all the violent protests in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Malaysia and Bangladesh? Oh, that's right, it wasn't American soldiers that were responsible.

Tunisian Group's Anti-Niqab Video Causes A Ruckus

Although there are some subservient fools who believe that the niqab (full Islamic face veil with just a slit for the eyes) makes them more pious, there are others who are rallying to make sure it doesn't become the norm in their country.  Some women with an organization called Egalité et Parité  (Equality and Parity) in Tunisia, a country that is battling to ensure Salafists don't impose their ultra conservative ways on what once was a secular nation, produced an anti-niqab video (see below) which is, naturally, causing a ruckus.

In their campaign, Equality and Parity used niqab-shaped stickers and put them in bathroom stalls, restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, and dressing rooms in malls. They filmed the reaction of women to the niqab stickers on the mirror, and turned them into a short film that is making its rounds on the internet.

Equality and Parity hopes that through this sticker campaign they can educate women and Tunisians in general on the severity of being forced to wear a niqab.

Ousted dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali banned the niqab when he was in power, and since his departure there have been protests, including one at Manouba University, advocating for the niqab.

Ben Ali treated those who were outwardly religious with extreme suspicion. During his time in power, it was not uncommon for police to stop women in the street and order them to unveil. The niqab has found itself at the epicenter in the Salafi-secularist debate.

Suspicious with good reason, considering the ultra religious want to establish Sharia law and force everyone to become as religious as they are.

Members of Equality and Parity stated in a press release that:

“We are fighting with and for all Tunisians from all regions, including those living abroad, who are also involved in our cause. We commit to define each of our goals based on a preliminary analysis of the current sociopolitical situation, which seems to exclude Tunisian women, especially in decision-making bodies, means of mass communication and the public space,”

They also stated that they will not hesitate to protest or plan sit-ins if women's rights are violated. Their mission statement on their Facebook Page says they will:

Fight to combat the weak representation of women in decision making bodies, be they political, social, economic or cultural.

Take action
to establish full citizenship (for women),
to eradicate all discrimination,
to ensure equality between men and women,
to make sure Tunisia joins all International Conventions favoring human rights, and in particular the lifting of reservations on the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (CEDAW).

Not suprisingly, the usual suspects (both the religious Muslims and liberals) have been highly critical of the video.

The "Love Hotel" - Evading The Morality Police In Banda Aceh

There's no stopping people in love from 'getting together', even in ultra-conservative Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Apparently there's a military-owned motel, called the 'love hotel', which is off-limits to the morality police, so it's doing a booming business amongst the not-so-overly-religious types (although there is a prayer mat in a cupboard for those who might feel a little guilty).

According to a soon-to-be divorced 45-year-old man named "Fauzi", who's a regular there with his 25-year-old girlfriend until they can get married,

"Everyone comes here. Married, not married, military, police, civilians."

Although the hotel looks like one of those flea-bag, rent-by-the-hour cheapo hotels, Fauzi doesn't seem to care.

"All I need is a bed, air conditioning and a toilet."

Unfortunately for the majority of people in Aceh, Sharia Law was instituted in 2001 as a concession from the central government to quell a rebellion in that region of Indonesia. Fauzi claims only about 10 percent of the people there want Sharia,

"and they would all be over 50."

Unmarried people caught by the Sharia police being in "close proximity" (drinking, or gambling) face public caning, fines and in some cases prison time, but a law to implement death by stoning for adultery was shot down by the governor Irwandi Yusuf.

But that won't stop young people in love.

As they say, where there's a will, there's a way.


Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

Veils For Women in Timbuktu- Islamists Take Over More Than Half of Mali

A struggle between secular democracies and Islamism is on the rise in the Middle East, parts of Asia and Africa. The latest country to succumb to the battle is Mali. The West African nation (of Timbuktu fame), was recently subjected to a military coup, after 21 years or so of a constitutional democracy. Considered relatively stable (until now), Mali has a population that's 90% Muslim. And though a secular state with a constitution that allows for freedom of religion, that's rapidly changing.

Troubles began in early 2012 in the north with a separatist group, comprised of the Tuareg (Berber nomad) peoples, who want to liberate the Azawad region of northern Mali (where Timbuktu is located) from the Mali government. The Islamists, Ansar Dine, want Mali to become an Islamic state. The coup was in response to President Amadou Toumani Touré's  failure to handle the insurgency,  but that in itself has made the situation in the African nation ten times worse.  In fact, the coup has allowed Tuareg rebels and Islamists in the north to take over half of the country, and the Islamists are working rapidly to establish their religious agenda, including forcing women in Timbuktu to wear veils.

Islamists seized control of the ancient trading hub Timbuktu over the weekend alongside Tuareg rebels and have since chased out their allies and declared to residents and religious leaders that they were imposing sharia law.

This sparked alarm abroad ahead of an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting on Mali, with Paris expressing concern over the Islamist threat in a country considered a democratic success until the coup.

The Tuareg rebels want an independent state while Ansar Dine which has seized Timbuktu wants to impose Islamic law and has linked up with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

Foreign Minister Alain Juppe told AFP the two were “closely tied” and Ansar Dine’s “goals are not clear, but it may be to install an Islamic regime across the whole of Mali.”

Three of the four leaders of al-Qaeda’s north Africa branch, Abou Zeid, Mokhtar Belmokhtar and Yahya Abou Al-Hammam, were in Timbuktu on Tuesday, security and religious sources in the city said.

Residents reported women in the normally secular city that hosted a major music festival in January were on Tuesday wearing headscarves.

In spite of sanctions and calls for the junta to relinquish power immediately, no-one's budging, yet.  The coup leaders claim they don't want to stay in power forever, and are calling for a "national convention" set for April 5, to discuss the transition back to civilian rule. But the longer they wait to settle things, the worse the situation will get.  The rise of Islamism in Mali wasn't the result of a thirst for democracy that turned sour, like the Arab Spring; the country already had a democratic, secular society, and President  Toure' wasn't a Mubarak.   In this case, the military facilitated the takeover by Islamists through their coup d'etat, and any further delay will allow the Islamists to claim more territory.

UNESCO (the U.N.'s cultural agency) is worried about what might happen to Timbuktu's "outstanding architectural wonders”,  and though that is worrisome, what I fear the most is the loss of freedom, for women in particular, in an Islamic state.

Afghan Woman Executed Over "Illicit Relationship", Man Goes Free

The latest from Afghanistan.

The information on Khaama Press is a little sketchy, but it seems a man and a woman were caught having an "illicit relationship", which in Afghanistan more than likely means they were not married- the woman was sentenced to death by tribal elders with the approval of her two brothers, and was subsequently executed within days. What happened to the man she was involved with? Nothing, apparently.  He had been jailed in Kabul but then released. Whether he was jailed because of the relationship or for unrelated matters is unclear. The point is- he's still alive, and she's dead.

Paktia province, where this occurred, is located in eastern Afghanistan, parts of which are still riddled with Taliban.  According to  the local police chief, Zalmai Oryakhel, her two brothers were arrested for being complicit, and he has no clue why her lover was freed.  He also claims the woman's killers have disappeared. Not surprising really,  since it's women who suffer the most under Shariah law. 

Although human rights activists in the region have condemned the execution, and urged Paktia authorities to investigate the matter, but it's unlikely anything will be done.  It was just a woman, after all.

Young Afghan Boy and Girl Killed After Acid Attack, No-One Claims Bodies

Here's another example of how religion and a twisted sense of honor is more important than the value of a life, or in this case, the lives of two young children. Dumped in the middle of nowhere, after being burned by acid, for unknown reasons.

Two children, unceremoniously dumped in the middle of nowhere.

GHAZNI: A 12-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy have been killed in an acid attack in Afghanistan, an official said on Saturday, with witnesses claiming it was because of their friendship in what is an ultra-conservative country.


The bodies were discovered on Friday in wasteland in the Esfandi area of Ghazni province in south central Afghanistan, provincial police chief Zorawar Zahid told AFP.


“Their bodies and faces were burnt by acid,” he said.


The police chief said officers were investigating the motive for the attack, but witnesses who found the bodies told AFP the two were probably killed because of their friendship.


No one has claimed the bodies, which are still in Ghazni hospital, police said.

What kind of parents would do this to their own children?

Joke of the day: Taliban Singles Online