Egypt Courts Sentence 8 To Death Over Anti-Islam Film

Eight people directly or indirectly involved in the making or promoting of the anti-Islam film "Innocence of Muslims"- the video that sent the Muslim world into paroxysms of violence, and was initially blamed (by our government) for the deaths in Benghazi- have been sentenced to death for blasphemy by an Egyptian court. Yes, seven Egyptian Christian Copts, and even American Pastor Terry Jones of Gainesville, Florida were sentenced in absentia.

Jones, who leads a fringe Christian congregation of no more than 50, said in response to the sentencing that it "shows the true face of Islam."

"we can speak out here in America,” Jones said. “That freedom means that we criticize government leadership, religion even at times. Islam is not a religion that tolerates any type of criticism.”

And he's right. They've proved exactly what he's been rallying against with his Quran burnings.

Others sentenced were, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula (aka Mark Basseley Youssef, aka Sam Bacile) the producer of the film who is back in jail, for another year, in the U.S. for probation violation. The guy was a scam artist, and all those aliases he used before they finally tracked him down: not a good thing. Then there's Morris Sadek, who claims he had nothing to do with the film other than post it on his website. He too is a Coptic Christian activist living in the Chantilly, Virginia. Sadek said of the ruling:

“ [it] shows the world that the Muslim Brotherhood regime wants to shut up all the Coptic activists, so no one can demand Copts’ rights in Egypt.”

He too is right.

Not much is known about the other five defendants, and/or how they were involved with the film.

 They include two who work with Sadek at a radical Coptic group in the U.S. that has called for an independent Coptic state, a priest who hosts TV programs from the U.S. and a lawyer living in Canada who has previously sued the Egyptian state over riots in 2000 that left 21 Christians dead.

The other person is a woman who converted to Christianity and is a staunch critic of Islam.

Calling for an independent Coptic State warrants the death penalty?  Not surprising, I guess.

The arrest warrants for the eight individuals were issued back in September, and according to Egypt's official news media:

.. the court found the defendants guilty of harming national unity, insulting and publicly attacking Islam and spreading false information - charges that carry the death sentence.

Apparently, there could be a reprieve when a final verdict (after review) is pronounced on January 29, 2013.

Good luck carrying out the sentence, since none of the accused live in Egypt.

Muslim Voices of Reason- Shazia Mirza 'Getting Offended On God's Behalf'

Whether out of fear or simply a lack, there are very few voices of reason in the Muslim world, but there are some. Found mostly in Western countries, they are a breath of fresh air, and worthy of sharing.

Shazia Mirza is a Brit writer/comedienne and Guardian columnist of Pakistani heritage who has written an opinion piece regarding the madness that has ensued over the anti-Muslim film "Innocence of Muslims", and it merits a read.

Getting Offended On God's Behalf

The alarm went off on Monday morning, the radio came on and all I heard was, “It’s been described as the most serious insult to Islam ever! People have been killed, and protests are mounting.”

I thought ‘What’s happened? Has Satanic Verses been turned into a cartoon?’ I switched the TV on and heard people talking about a film.

I had to rush and get on the tube, as I walked into the carriage everyone was reading a newspaper with this same story on the front, I heard one man say to his friend, “They’re offended again”, his friend replied, “What’s new?”

I watched the film, and it’s the most serious insult to film making ever. It is a badly made, amateur pantomime of a film. Clearly a joke in itself. But what is even more outrageous – is the reaction to it.

My mum is religious. Very religious, fanatical about her religion. She’s done Hajj 12 times, prays all day and fasts even when it’s not Ramazan. If she saw the film she wouldn’t like it, but would she go and shoot four people because of it? No way. Because she is a rational, open-minded human being, and she’s so religious she doesn’t watch films, at least ones which don’t include Omar Sharif.

God, whichever God you believe in, is all knowing, all forgiving, and all loving. God has seen it all, because he made it all. He made the blasphemers. God can’t be attacked. So if you’re offended on his behalf, you don’t actually have enough faith in him.

It is fashionable to be offended, and predictable for certain people to be offended at anything from cartoons to films, jokes, books … what next? Food, hair colour?

Every idea, every belief has to be challenged because that’s how the rational mind works. There has to be questioning and debate, and if your religion is strong enough, it will withstand that.

Blasphemy is important. If blasphemy laws ruled the world we’d still be living in caves, and we’d never had made any progress – some people still haven’t. Blasphemy laws are the armour of the insecure. If you are unable to laugh at yourself as a religion or a culture, that culture is suffering from low self-esteem, and devolution. Blasphemy doesn’t just apply to religion, but economically and socially as well.

Now, because of the way certain Muslims react to things that offend them, artists, writers, comedians, film makers all over the world are slowly being silenced because they are scared to say what they think; in case they end up dead. The East is taking away the West’s democracy. I don’t like the film, it is offensive and insulting, although the comments underneath it on YouTube are far more offensive, but if you truly believe in democracy you have to defend the right for it to be made.

It is always a minority that are offended, and they often react with irrational violence, some of them don’t even know what they’re reacting to; violence is all they know. It gives us all a bad name. And if they don’t stop, I’ll have to continue to get randomly searched at airports, being felt up by some strange woman, and not be able to take more than 100ml of moisturizer through customs.

I live in England. It is a democracy, not just because of the way we vote, but because of the way we think. A good working democracy treats minorities well, and has a view of religion that is accepting. Britain is a melting pot of many religions and cultures, which is what makes it so great.

The Muslim world needs to be open minded about religion; it is ridiculous, insulting in itself and anti-Islamic to call someone an infidel just because they don’t agree with what you believe.

Murdering someone, anyone, is never justified but even more outrageous when over a flimsy book or a badly made film.

There is a war between the East and the West, the moderate and the extreme, the religious and the non-religious, the repressed and the free, the open minded and the closed minded. Ultimately the open minded will win. Those are the people, who are accepting and tolerant to other people’s beliefs and opinions which is the fundamental basis of all religion and those are the right thinking, rational people you’d want to live next door to.

Don’t kill me for writing this column; it’s just an idea.

Well said.  We need more Shazias.

Source: Dawn

Islamic States (OIC) Try Again For Global Blasphemy Law

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has been attempting to squelch freedom of speech for a very  long time.  Now, members are taking advantage of the latest firestorm in the Middle East (over the "Innocence of Muslims" film, and the Charlie Hebdo Mohammed cartoons) to resurrect their efforts to force their way of thinking on the West.  They want a global ban on insulting religion; in fact, they want to make it a criminal offense, just like it is under Islamic Shariah law. And we all know what that means: a sentence of life in prison or death.

The secretary-general of the OIC, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, called on the rest of the world to:

 “come out of hiding from behind the excuse of freedom of expression.”

He said the “deliberate, motivated and systematic abuse of this freedom” were a danger to global security and stability.

Uh, no. Freedom of expression is not a danger to global security and stability, a religion that has failed to modernize and evolve along with the bulk of its followers is what poses a threat to global stability. Instead of a decade-long effort trying to force those of us who cherish  freedom of expression (regardless of whether we find some things offensive or not), why not try reforming a religion that is in desperate need of it.

And then this:

Separately, the Human Rights Commission of the OIC, which has 57 members and is based in Saudi Arabia, said “growing intolerance towards Muslims”, had to be checked and called for “an international code of conduct for media and social media to disallow the dissemination of incitement material”.

There would be no "growing intolerance towards Muslims" if they weren't trying to shove their religious ideology and doctrine down our throats, or running around destroying property and killing people, including fellow Muslims. Ironically, there is far more intolerance within the Muslim community itself, but in their case they don't merely criticize they blow each other up.

Sorry, but hands off the West. You keep your Shariah, we'll keep our freedom of speech.

Young Kids Hold "Behead Those Who Insult The Prophet" Signs At Aussie Anti-Islam Film Protest

You'd think that in civilized Sydney, Australian Muslims protesting the anti-Islam film "The Innocence of Muslims" would have remained, well, civilized, but that was definitely not the case.  They turned into violent animals just like their Muslim cousins over in the Middle East, parts of Africa, and wherever else they felt the need to react like rabid dogs over a movie made by a handful of amateurish hack filmmakers.

The violence isn't the only thing that had Aussies horrified, the fact that children were holding signs "Behead all those who insult the prophet" has them even more sickened. Here you have proud mummy taking a photo of her darling little boy holding one of  those signs ( see photo below). And no, it's not photoshopped.  Authorities want the use of young children  to be investigated, and the Australian Daily Telegraph is actually asking anyone who knows who the woman might be to contact them at  news@dailytelegraph.com.au.

Way to go mum. Teach them while nice and young.

Six policemen were injured during the violent riot. Read about the riots here, and here.

What do these people honestly think they are accomplishing?  Their violent actions simply confirm that their religion is far from peaceful, and it's certainly not going to stop people from criticizing them for it.  Some Aussie Muslims have condemned the protesters for turning violent, but they should do a better job of reigning them in, or Australia should deport all their asses. 

The Real Man Behind The Anti-Islam Movie "The Innocence of Muslims"?

"Sam Bacile" writer/director of the tasteless, cheesy  anti-Islam movie "The Innocence of Muslims" that spawned the violence in Egypt, Libya and now Yemen, is more than likely 55-year-old Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, an Egyptian Christian Copt living in Southern California. Although he claims he merely "provided logistics" for the movie initially called 'Desert Warriors', and that he's not the "Israeli/Jewish" director "Sam Bacile", it's more than likely he's fibbing. Apparently, the cellphone the AP dialed for an interview with Sam Bacile was traced back to Nakoula's address. Oops.

It also turns out that Nakoula has been a very bad boy, aside from producing a piece of crap film that has set the Middle East ablaze, not that it takes much to do that. In 2010, Nakoula pleaded no contest to federal bank fraud charges. He had to pay back over $790,000, and was sentenced to 21 months in jail. Prosecutor Jennifer Leigh Williams said Nakoula had a major "check-kiting scheme" going on, which he managed by using stolen identities and Social Security numbers.

 "You try to get the money out of the bank before the bank realizes they are drawn from a fraudulent account. There basically is no money."

Nakoula is obviously of questionable character, so I suppose it's not surprising that he had the brazen gall to claim he (as Bacile) was an Israeli Jew.  Since Coptic Christians are terribly persecuted in Egypt, I can understand the need to keep his identity under wraps, but to identify himself as another religion, particularly one that is so vilified in that region, is unconscionable.  In fact, protesters in Yemen were calling for "Death to America", and "Death to Israel" thanks to Nakoula.

More evidence that indicates a Coptic/Christian connection, not an Israeli one, is the fact that the film consultant Steve Klein,  a Christian, has been involved with the Copts for years.  Jim Horn, another activist working with Coptic groups said about Klein:

"He's been helping them to stand up for themselves against Islamic terror in Egypt. That's what he does."

Then you have wacko evangelical Christian Florida Pastor Terry Jones, who has promoted the video, and  Morris Sadek- another Christian Copt, posted the 13-minute trailer on his Facebook page a week a week or so ago.

It's all still much of a mystery, including why the video was only promoted right before 9/11 of this year, when the movie was filmed last summer.  More of the truth will eventually be revealed.

Sources: Yahoo, GuardianUK

UPDATE: According to the Daily Beast, Nakoula was also meth manufacturer (spending a year in jail for that back in 1997), and a registered Democrat from 2002 to 2008. He then switched to American Independent.

UPDATE: The 13 Minute Anti-Islam Film Trailer That Sparked The Latest Muslim Carnage

UPDATE 9/12/12: The true nationality of filmmaker "Sam Bacile", and the amount spent on the film has been called into question.  The Israel government have never heard of him, nor is there any record of him in California. Furthermore, according to the film's consultant Steve Klein, Bacile is not even a real person and definitely not Jewish or Israeli. The name is actually a pseudonym for a group of Evangelical and Coptic Christians from that region. The Atlantic Wire has more information.  If true, and I'm sure we haven't heard the last of it, trying to pawn off the controversy on an 'Israeli Jew' is reprehensible and totally unforgivable. If you are going to make an anti-Islam film, then have the courage to own it. As if the Israelis don't have enough problems. Truly shameful!

Original Post
The anti-Islam film that sparked the protests in both Egypt and Libya along with the murder of the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, was not- as previously reported by major news outlets- a U.S. Coptic Christian production. It was allegedly written and directed by a 56-year-old California-based Israeli Jewish filmmaker/real estate developer, Sam Bacile, who is now in hiding, who believes "Islam is a cancer".

"Innocence of Muslims" is an offensive, badly acted two-hour movie (if the 13 minute trailer below is any indication), that unbelievably cost $5 million to produce. In the 13 minutes Mohammed is exposed as a pedophile, womanizer, fraud and gay, among other things. Who knows what audience members have in store for them during the full two hours.

According to Washington Times, Bacile apologized for the death of Ambassador Stevens, but rightfully placed blame on the murdering thugs and the lack of security at the embassies.

“I feel the security system (at the embassies) is no good,” said Bacile. “America should do something to change it.”

And he's probably right. I don't recall there ever being more than a few marine guards on duty at one time at the embassies and consulates in the countries we lived in. Perhaps there are more stationed in a volatile region like the Middle East, and if there had been a warning the number would have increased, but certainly not enough to stave off an attack by a mob of angry Muslims. And apparently the local Libyan security officers bailed, like cowards, when the attack commenced.

I also blame the Islamist governments that are fostering and encouraging extremism in those countries, and were probably somehow complicit. How was a "safehouse" in Libya attacked without it being an inside job?

"It was supposed to be a secret place and we were surprised the armed groups knew about it. There was shooting," Sharif said. Two U.S. personnel were killed there, he said. Two other people were killed at the main consular building and between 12 and 17 wounded.

And how interesting that they chose 9/11 to demonstrate.  The film was shot last summer, so they had plenty of time to protest , but obviously chose this particular day for a reason.

Although the trailer is in English, it was also stupidly dubbed into Arabic to inspire all those violence-prone Arabs to action.

Obama and Clinton have condemned the killings: Obama calling it an "outrageous act", and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton placing the blame on a  "small savage group", not the people or government of Libya.  Savage? Yes. Small?  I doubt it. And talk about ingrates. We helped rid their country of a tyrant through training, weapons and money, and this is what we get in return?  Similarly, the Egyptians have received almost $2 billion in military and economic aid since 1979. I think that needs to stop. Now.

If the film was aiming at satire, it failed. Miserably. And offensive as it is, killing people over it is even more offensive.  These people are just proving what savages they are, and will only succeed in making Westerners less tolerant of their supremely intolerant religion. Some would like to excuse the actions of a few so-called extremists, but many of the Egyptian protesters were soccer fans, not your typical bearded Islamists. That is inexcusable. Killing people because you are offended is inexcusable.

I'm not sure how long the video will be available on Youtube, but here it is for now.




UPDATE 9/16/12:  You are not going to believe who they now think was the director of the movie, although considering the schlockiness you  might be able to guess.