Al-Shabaab Kills Somali Preacher and Followers Over Music

Somalia's al-Shabaab continue to exact their special kind of barbaric Islamist punishment on those they believe are not following their kind of Islam.

Two attacks on the same day. A car bomb killing at least 6 and injuring more in Mogadishu. Apparently targeting soldiers there. The other attack was by two suicide bombers who killed an Islamic Imam along with 17 or more followers. Apparently the cleric was playing music during a religious ceremony.

Two suicide bombers exploded in front of the preacher's residence, which is also a Sufi shrine, and then four gunmen stormed the building and opened fire, said Ahmed Awale, a police officer in Galkayo. At least 20 others were injured, he said.

Somali security forces responded and there was a battle with heavy gunfire in the building. Three attackers were killed in the shootout and one was captured alive, said Awale.

Somalia's extremist rebels, al-Shabab, have claimed responsibility for the attack in Galkayo.

The attack killed Sheikh Abdiweli Ali Elmi, who has hundreds of followers and has been controversial because videos show him and his followers chanting religious poems with music, which some extremists say is not Islamic. Sheikh Elmi had defended his actions, saying music is not contrary to Islamic teachings.

Note of interest- This is the same country that Democratic member-elect of the U.S. house of representatives Ilhan Omar hails from. Not to say she has any affiliation with al-Shabaab. It's just interesting she chooses to still wear an hijab.

Source: Miami Herald

Somali Muslim Clerics Balk At Anti-Apostasy Booklet By Somali Muslim Scholar

There are Muslims trying to reform Islam. Not many, since those who do try are often targeted by the more radical elements in the religion. But there are some. Take Saudi educated Somali scholar Abdisaid Ismail who recently published a small booklet tackling the subject of punishment (which is usually death) for apostasy in Islam.  The book Xadka Riddada Maxaa ka Run Ah? (Is There Punishment for Apostasy in Islam?) was published in Nairobi, and discusses whether punishment is dictated by Islam, as well as touching on women's equality issues.

The book, which is little more than 130 pages, is unsettling the Somali militants as it challenges their misuse of Islam as a political tool.

Xadka Riddada, as it is commonly known, seems to be more dangerous for Islamist militants in Somalia than the thousands of troops sent by the African Union to the Horn of Africa nation, or the millions of dollars spent every month fighting Islamist terrorists.

The resistance to the book by radical clerics shows the fight against terrorism is essentially one of ideas rather than military might.
[snip]
He has done extensive research on the issue of apostasy in Islam and freedom of religion, and concluded that Islam does not prescribe the death penalty for apostasy, and that freedom of religion is clearly enshrined in Islam.

The booklet is a counter-narrative to the Islamist position that Muslims cannot abandon their religion and if they do, they should be killed -- a doctrine used to justify wanton killings in Somalia.

Ismail's take on Sharia:

Mr Ismail argues that many of the doctrines in Islam are based on the out-dated Arab socio-economic situation of the sixth century, and that much of the Islamic Jurisprudence now used by Islamists is no more than tribal reading of key religious sources.

He advocates the separation of Mosque and State, so to speak, which is contrary to the rallying call by Islamist jihadists and their ideologues for Sharia as the supreme law in Muslim countries. This call is equivalent to the Bible being declared the law in Christian countries, an unthinkable preposition in this day and age.

He also condemns "moderates" for opposing reform and basically siding with the extremists vis-à-vis their violence and brutality.

As expected, it is not being very well received by extremists, who believe apostates should be executed, and that women should remain barefoot and pregnant, and out of sight.  The book was condemned, and radical clerics have called the book "apostasy", and the death threats ensued. He was even thrown out of a Kenyan hotel in Eastleigh, and his booklet has been banned from book stores there. In democratic, liberal Kenya, no less.

So, according to Ismail, 'moderate' Muslims are not any more enlightened than extremists.

How long do you suppose the poor man will survive?

Source: AllAfrica.

Boko Haram Not Muslim, Claims U.S. Ambassador Robert Jackson

At a recent Senate hearing on the ongoing terror activity in Nigeria, Ambassador Robert Jackson, deputy assistant secretary of state for African Affairs, claimed "Boko Haram is portraying its philosophy as being a Muslim philosophy, and that's just not accurate."

Really?  Let's see, they believe in Mohammed and Allah, read the Quran, and are trying to establish an uber-strict form of Sharia law in Nigeria. Doesn't sound like Hinduism to me. Or Buddhism. Or Judaism or Christianity. Hello, Ambassador Jackson, if it quacks like a duck. Oh, and Al-Shabaab, and the Taliban and al-Qaeda all believe the same thing.  They're all Muslims because they consider themselves to be, and because they follow the tenets of that religion. It would be like claiming the Westboro Baptists aren't Christians.  They might not be what we expect of Christians, they're almost as evil a bunch as Boko Haram, but they believe in Christ, so they are.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio took on Jackson during the hearing.

“Is the prime motivator here of this instance, in your opinion — is the prime motivator the desire to deny young women access to education and empowerment?” Rubio asked.

“Senator, I actually think the prime motivator is to raise more funds for Boko Haram through ransom,” Jackson replied. “However, the fact that Boko Haram opposes Western education is certainly a reason why these girls were targeted.”

“Can I suggest that I think there’s another motivation that’s not getting nearly enough attention, and that is that this is clearly motivated by an anti-Christian attitude of this group,” Rubio continued, citing “a grotesque statement” from Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau: “It is either you are with jahideen, or you’re with the Christians. We know what is happening in this world. It is a jihad war against Christians and Christianity. It is a war against Western education, democracy and constitution… This is what I know in Quran. This is a war against Christians and democracy and their constitution. Allah says we should finish them when we get them.”

“I don’t think there’s any doubt about what’s motivating them,” Rubio said. “One of their leading motivators here is this is not simply — and there’s no doubt that this is a part of it, but this is not just about girls going to school and it’s not just about raising money. There is a strong anti-Christian element of this organization and of this activity. Am I right in saying that?”

“Senator, there is a strong anti-Christian element, but I would offer that more of the thousands of people who have died as a result of Boko Haram’s activities are Muslim than Christian,” Jackson said.

Rubio stressed “we should not ignore the fact that there is a religious persecution aspect of this that is very significant and deserves attention, especially in light of what we are seeing not just in this part of the world but multiple areas of the world, where we are seeing horrifying instances of religious persecution against Christians, which, in my opinion, has been underreported.”

“Senator, I respectfully suggest while anti-Christian sentiment is a strong motivator, the fact of the matter is that Boko Haram is trying to portray its philosophy as being a Muslim philosophy, and that’s just not accurate,” Jackson said.

“I’m not claiming that this is somehow driven by legitimate teachings of Islam. What I’m arguing is that there is a strong anti-Christian element to this and that it is part of a broader anti-Christian persecution that we are seeing repeatedly throughout the world. Would you disagree with that statement?” the senator asked.

“I do not disagree, but I continue to want to emphasize that Boko Haram terrorizes all people,” the State Department official responded.

Jackson said about 85 percent of the more than 200 teens taken from the Chibok secondary school are Christian. Nigeria’s population includes about about 60 million Protestants and 20 million Catholics, according to Pew.

Rubio stressed that a crime against Muslims “is no less worse or less bad than a crime against Christians.”

“What I’m trying to put aside — what I’m trying to put forward here is that we cannot continue to ignore that persecution of Christians is a leading motivator not just of what’s happening in Boko Haram but in other parts of the world, as well, but in this specific instance, they are clearly motivated by anti-Christian attitudes and anti-Christian beliefs,” he said. “And I don’t think that’s even debatable, given their very own statement.”

Rubio was referring to a video statement by Shekau  that the schoolgirls had converted to Islam.

Source: PJ Media

Taliban and Al-Qaeda Condemn "Merciless Killings" Of Muslims In C. African Republic

It seems that the Afghan Taliban and factions of al-Qaeda are condemning the violence in the Central African Republic. They want the Christians to stop killing the Muslims in that country.

In a statement released Saturday, the Taliban condemned the “merciless killings” of Muslims at the hands of “bloodthirsty militias” as the world sits “idly by.”

It warned that the situation threatens the peaceful coexistence of Muslims and Christians throughout Africa and urged the international community - including the pope - to stop the bloodshed.

 Ethnic-cleansing (as the U.N. is calling the violence in CAR) is an abomination, but who are they- the Taliban and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb- to complain about the bloodshed? Those prolific purveyors of violence talking about peaceful co-existence? Tell that to  all the Christians (and fellow Muslims) that have been massacred by the likes of Boko Haram in Nigeria, and al-Shabaab in Somalia.

AQIM, of course blames, France (with its peacekeeping team there) and is calling for attacks on French interests.

“To the leaders and rulers of France: Know and be sure, that your crimes will not go unpunished,” AQIM said.

The group urged Muslims not to remain silent about the events, saying “they are ugly massacres inflicted upon the Muslims there, before the eyes and ears of what claim to be international peacekeeping forces.”

It's thanks to al-Qaeda's global reach that there's a rising backlash against Muslims in countries like CAR and Myanmar. People have had it. If the Taliban, al-Qaeda and all the Muslim extremist groups that exist in the world put down their weapons and suicide vests, and set aside their inflammatory rhetoric and goals of establishing a worldwide caliphate, only then will there be a chance for peaceful co-existence.

The recent attacks against Muslims in CAR seem to be, in part, a response to Muslim rebels raping and killing Christians in that country without any repercussions, hence the formation of Christian militias.

Ex-US Soldier Sentenced To 7 Years For Trying To Join Al-Shabaab

The 26-year-old ex-US Army intelligence specialist Craig Benedict Baxam who was caught trying to join al-Shabaab in Somalia in 2011, was just sentenced to 7 years in prison for destroying his computer, plus 5 years of supervised release.  The idiot apparently converted to Islam shortly before he left the military and wanted to fight with one of the most extreme Islamic terrorist groups in existence. Baxam was arrested by Kenyan police as he tried to cross over into Somalia.

He was charged and sentenced for destroying his computer which had information that would aid in a terrorism investigation.

His defense said the lad just wanted to go practice his religion, even though FBI agents who interviewed him in Kenya said:

"... that he would fight against any country, including the United States and his former colleagues in the U.S. Army, if Al Shabaab controlled areas were invaded or if anyone tried to institute a democratic government there."

So what happens to him when his 12 years is up? He's left to plot his way to get to heaven and those 72 virgins??

More here, and here.

78 Christians Killed In Pakistani Church Bombing, And Other Massacres This Past Week

Every week there are major acts of violence rooted in Islam. Sometimes it's Muslim on Muslim violence, other times the targets are people of other religions.

This past week was no exception.

At least 78 people were killed in a suicide bombing at a Christian church in Peshawar, Pakistan, this weekend. Of 100 or more wounded, 11 of those are critical, so the death toll will probably rise. Not surprisingly, the government seems more concerned about peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban.

Speaking to RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal, regional Information Minister Shah Farman said the attack should not be allowed to derail the country's peace process with Tehrek-e-Taliban Pakistan, the Pakistani Taliban.

"It's a tragic incident, but overall, these kinds of incidents have decreased," Farman said. "There is a peace process going on. We don't want this process to be derailed. We're waiting for the results of the final investigation to see who did this and why."

Tragic incident?  It's an abomination, but what do they care. The minority Christian population has always been expendable.

Then there was the terror attack in the Kenyan shopping mall, by those Somali al-Shabaab neanderthals. The targets there were also non-Muslims. 68 killed, 175 wounded, so far. There are still some hostages being held by the gunmen.

But it's just as easy  killing fellow Muslims.  They were having a grand old time killing each other in Iraq this past week. Let's see, a suicide bomber blew himself up at a Sunni funeral on Sunday, killing at least 12.  70 were killed at a Shiite mosque the day before. 18 were killed at a Sunni mosque on Friday, and I'm sure I'm missing more. No doubt the Sunnis will retaliate for this latest massacre.

Will it ever end? Doubtful. And Muslims wonder why their religion is looked upon so unfavorably these days.

Twitter Suspends Al-Shabaab's English Language Account

Who would have thought those nasty little Islamist terrorists in Somalia, al-Shabaab, would have several Twitter accounts, with one in English to boot. Surely Western technology and social media would be considered un-Islamic, but I guess not when they can use it to disseminate information to their jihadist followers, including photos of dead infidels. One of those photos along with threats to kill Kenyan hostages, however, prompted Twitter to shutter the English account @HSMPress, although the Arabic and Somali-language ones are still functioning, and they just opened another @HSMPress_ account.

The Twitter account of Somalia’s Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab insurgents was suspended Friday, days after they posted photographs of a French commando they killed and threatened to execute Kenyan hostages.

A message from Twitter on the English-language @HSMPress account read that the account had “been suspended,” without elaborating.

However, the Shebab’s Somali- and Arabic-language accounts continue to operate, and the extremists used their Arabic account to denounce the suspension as censorship.

“This is new evidence of the freedom of expression in the West,” the message read.

On Wednesday the Shebab used the account to release a link to a video of several Kenyan hostages they said they will execute within three weeks if the Kenyan government does not release prisoners held on terrorism charges.

Earlier this month they posted graphic photographs of a French soldier killed during a failed bid to release a French agent whom the Shebab had held for more than three years. They later used Twitter to announce the hostage's execution.

French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault denounced the publication of the photographs as a “particularly odious display.”

Twitter warns that accounts can be suspended if they violate its rules, which include the publishing of “direct, specific threats of violence against others,” according to regulations posted on its website.

Users are also blocked if they use Twitter “for any unlawful purposes or in furtherance of illegal activities.”

Last year the Shebab used the account -- which was opened in December 2011, and most recently had more than 20,000 followers -- for a series of exchanges with Kenya’s army spokesman, taunting the Kenyans after they invaded southern Somalia to attack the Islamists.

Complaining about censorship? What a joke.

But they'll keep popping back up until they are eradicated, if that's at all possible. It will be the Islamist extremists and the roaches that will survive a nuclear war.

I do wonder, though, who really is running their Twitter accounts. Probably someone based in the U.K.

Read the rest.