Al Jazeera English Bans Use of "Extremist", "Militant", "Terrorist", "Islamist"- Per Leaked Email Memo

ISIS-affiliated jihadists have claimed responsibility for the attack and car bombing of the Corinthia luxury hotel in Tripoli, Libya early this morning. The death toll varies, but it's around 9 or 10, with one American casualty.

Soon after the attack, Carlos Van Meek of Al Jazeera English sent out an email memo to Al Jazeera correspondents telling them they are not to use the terms "jihad", "Islamist", "extremist", "terrorist" or "militant" when referring to Islamist, extremist, terrorist militant jihadists. They want to "avoid characterizing people," because "one person's terrorist is another's freedom fighter." Right, because trying to establish an imperialist global caliphate is just freedom fighting. Beheading journalists, raping and killing Yazidi women, and keeping some as sex slaves is just freedom fighting.

BUT, it's perfectly okay to use the term militant when referring to people like Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, or Norway's 'mass murderer' Anders Behring Breivik.

National Review Online's Brendan Bordelon got his hands on a leaked copy of that email:

From: Carlos Van Meek
Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2015 10:06 AM
To: AJE-Newsdesk; AJE-Output; AJE-DC-Newsroom
Subject: Terrorists, Militants, Fighters and then some…

All: We manage our words carefully around here. So I’d like to bring to your attention to some key words that have a tendency of tripping us up. This is straight out of our Style Guide. All media outlets have one of those. So do we. If you’d like to amend, change, tweak.. pls write to Dan Hawaleshka direct who is compiling the updates to the Style Guide and they will be considered based on merit. No mass replies to this email, pls.


EXTREMIST – Do not use. Avoid characterizing people. Often their actions do the work for the viewer. Could write ‘violent group’ if we’re reporting on Boko Haram agreeing to negotiate with the government. In other words, reporting on a violent group that’s in the news for a non-violent reason.

TERRORISM/TERRORISTS – One person’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter. We will not use these terms unless attributed to a source/person.

ISLAMIST – Do not use. We will continue to describe groups and individuals, by talking about their previous actions and current aims to give viewers the context they require, rather than use a simplistic label.

NOTE: Naturally many of our guests will use the word Islamist in the course of their answers. It is absolutely fine to include these answers in our output. There is no blanket ban on the word.

JIHAD – Do not use the Arabic term. Strictly speaking, jihad means an inner spiritual struggle, not a holy war. It is not by tradition a negative term. It also means the struggle to defend Islam against things challenging it. Again, an Arabic term that we do not use.

FIGHTERS – We do not use words such as militants, radicals, insurgents. We will stick with fighters. However, these terms are allowed when quoting other people using them.

MILITANT – We can use this term to describe individuals who favour confrontational or violent methods in support of a political or social cause. For example, we can use the term to describe Norwegian mass-killer Andres Behring Breivik or Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. But please note: we will not use it to describe a group of people, as in ‘militants’ or ‘militant groups’ etc.

Makes one want to slam one's head into the wall.

It's not the first leaked email to show just how biased the Qatar-based news agency is. After the Charlie Hebdo attack, National Review Online also managed to get a hold of other emails where Al Jazeera execs criticised the overwhelming global support for freedom of speech.

Maybe it's time Al Jazeera crawls back to Doha where it belongs.

Source: NewsBusters

Missing Libyan Jetliners Could Be Used In Suicide Attacks

Islamist militias are currently battling over which group will take over Libya. They've already seized control of the capital, Tripoli, and they have control over the international airport there.  Including, allegedly, around 12 commercial jetliners.  Now western counter-terrorism folk are worried about what might happen when terrorists have in their possession  a dozen planes, especially with 9/11 fast approaching.

Intelligence reports of the stolen jetliners were distributed within the U.S. government over the past two weeks and included a warning that one or more of the aircraft could be used in an attack later this month on the date marking the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against New York and Washington, said U.S. officials familiar with the reports.

“There are a number of commercial airliners in Libya that are missing,” said one official. “We found out on September 11 what can happen with hijacked planes.”

Nothing has officially been confirmed.

More here.

Benghazi Bites The Dust?- Declared An Islamic Emirate

The fall of Libya's Muammar Gaddafi spawned the rise of the Salafist jihadi militant group Ansar al-Sharia. Those same Islamists responsible for the murder of  U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and several other Americans during the 2012 Benghazi attack, have been battling to take over Benghazi ever since, and have finally succeeded.  At least that's what they claim. As of late Wednesday, Benghazi is now an "Islamic emirate", says Mohammed al-Zahawi, Ansar al-Sharia's spokesperson.

Not so, says Khalifa Haftar.

"..Khalifa Haftar, a retired, renegade former army general who earlier this year launched a self-declared campaign to clear the city of Islamist militants, denied the group’s claims.

“The national Libyan army is in control of Benghazi and only withdrew from certain positions for tactical reasons,” Haftar told Al Arabiya News Channel.

“The claim that Benghazi is under the control of militias is a lie,” he said.

So, did Benghazi bite the dust and fall to Ansar al-Sharia?  Hard to tell, at this point, but I'm sure in the coming days it will become clearer who actually controls the city.  We know there have been some recent major battles in Benghazi, attacks on the airport prompting an evacuation of American personnel from the city, and news that an army base was taken over by Islamists and militiamen, so I'm thinking it's more likely that Ansar al-Sharia accomplished its goal. For now. And if they have, expect more bloodshed.

More here.

The rising tide of Islamism does not bode well for that region.

Filipino Beheaded In Libya For Being Non-Muslim

Libyan militiamen kidnapped and then beheaded a Filipino construction worker after his vehicle was "stopped at a checkpoint" and it was discovered that he was not Muslim. He was traveling with a Libyan and Pakistani. Obviously Muslim, they were spared.  Apparently, the kidnappers wanted $160,000 ransom for the man, but according to Charles Jose, Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, he was probably already dead when negotiations started.

"... after four days of negotiations, a call was received bringing the tragic news that his headless, decomposing body is at a hospital in Benghazi."

There are around 13,000 Philippine nationals working in Libya, all of whom have been told to evacuate. Post haste.

“The Department of Foreign Affairs strongly reiterates its call to all Filipino nationals in Libya to return home as soon as possible,” it said. Adding that Level 4 or “Mandatory Evacuation” has been raised and that no Filipino national will be allowed to travel to Libya.

“Alert Level 4 has been raised due to the latest security developments in Libya, the increasing violence and lawlessness, the closure of major airports, the heightened security threat to Filipinos, particularly in Benghazi, where a Filipino worker was kidnapped on July 15 and confirmed dead yesterday,” the statement read.

Source: Al Arabiya

And Muslims wonder why we have such a problem with their religion.

UPDATE: Questions about CBS 60 Minutes' Benghazi Report An Indictment Against Obama Administration

UPDATE: 11/8/13:  Apparently, "Morgan Jones" lied about actually being at the compound and seeing Amb. Stevens' dead body at the hospital, so now CBS and Lara Logan are apologizing for the story. What I'd like to know is- was he actually lying to CBS about having witnessed the attack, or did he lie to his bosses in Libya because he was not meant to be there.  I guess we will never know.  Story here, on The Blaze.

CBS' 60 Minutes spent a year investigating the Benghazi terror attack that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and other Americans in Libya. It's a major indictment against the Obama administration for clearly ignoring the obvious warning signs of an impending, co-ordinated, planned terror attack by Al Qaeda, including 'Black Flags' flying over government buildings, and then lying about the fact that it was much more than a video that sparked the violence.

Lara Logan interviews several people including Morgan Jones (pseudonym), a British security guy hired to protect American diplomats, who talks about the inadequate security at the U.S. compound that he spent way too much time complaining about. to no avail.

Lt. Col. Andy Wood, a Green Beret Commander in Tripoli who was in contact with Amb. Stevens every day, talks about how the attack should have been expected since Al Qaeda had threatened to attack The Red Cross, the British Ambassador and then Americans, and they'd accomplished the first two. Again, nothing was done.

And for at least a week after the attack, the Obama Administration kept blaming an anti-Islam film for what happened in Benghazi.









Read Transcript here.

Legal Insurrection has links to Twitter posts, and relevant videos where we were lied to.

CNN Reports On Benghazi Gun-Running To Syrian Rebels

The mainstream media is finally reporting on what many on the right speculated about many moons ago- that the CIA was gun-running in Benghazi when the massacre occurred. The weapons were headed from Libya via Turkey to the rebels in Syria.




H/T Patriot Update

Libyan Islamists Publicly Lashing Citizens

Vigilante Islamists (allegedly from the extremist group Ansar Al-Sharia) publicly lashing citizens for unknown crimes in Libya, just because they can.

Lashings have resurfaced since crazy Muammar al-Gaddafi's (Qadhafi) was killed.  And forget the law, Islamists take it upon themselves to dish out the punishment without going through Shariah courts.

And the poor fool crying "Allahu Akbar".

Benghazi Coptic Christian Church Torched By Extremists

More Christian persecution, this time in Libya.  A Coptic Christian church in Benghazi, that had already suffered damage by Islamic extremists in February, was torched again on Thursday.

According to a witness:

"Several armed men arrived firing in the air, started a fire in the church and left," a resident near the church in central Benghazi said, asking not to be named.

At least this time no-one was hurt. Back in February a priest and his assistant were also attacked.

Christians have been living in fear of the rise of Islamic extremism since Moammar Gadhafi was driven from power and killed in 2011 with the help of the U.S.

Libyans Dying And Getting Sick From Homemade Alcohol

Since alcohol is obviously banned in Libya (although there is a thriving black market for it), the Libyan people have turned to moonshining. I'm not sure what exactly they are distilling, but it's homemade and apparently killing people.

“The number of deaths due to the consumption of homemade alcohol has grown, with 22 new cases bringing the total to 38,” ministry spokesman Amar Mohamed Amar told AFP, adding that “the number of people poisoned has reached 378.”

The ministry had earlier given a toll of 16 dead and 310 poisoned, after saying on Sunday that five people had died from drinking the illegal concoction.

Tripoli medical center’s health chief Youssef al-Wafi said on Sunday that “preliminary tests revealed the symptoms of poisoning from the consumption of homemade alcohol containing methanol.”

Wafi said the health risks included kidney failure, blindness, seizures and possible death, with those thought to have consumed the toxic drink ranging in age from 19 to 50.

Interesting to note, according to Al Arabiya, alcohol and drug trafficking has skyrocketed since Muammar Qadafi's regime was booted.

Although I am a non-drinker, this is what happens when you ban things that people will inevitably find a way to get their hands on.

48 More Egyptian Christians Arrested In Libya For Proselytizing

Libya's on a roll. Several weeks ago a Swedish/American, South African, South Korean and an Egyptian were arrested for preaching Christianity. 48 more Egyptian Christians have  been detained for proselytizing, but they are officially being charged with illegal entry.

“Forty-eight Egyptian traders who worked in the Benghazi municipal market have been arrested based on reports of suspect activities,” the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

He said they were found in possession of a quantity of copies of Bible, texts encouraging conversion to Christianity, and images of Christ and the late Pope Shenuda of Egypt’s Coptic Christians, none of which were for “personal use.”

But the main charge was illegal entry into Libya, he said.

A video posted on the Internet shows dozens of men with shaved heads squatted on the floor in a tiny room as a bearded Libyan recounts how they had been arrested on charges of proselytizing.

A local official, meanwhile, said the group of men were being well treated and would be deported after an investigation over illegal immigration was completed.

At least they'll be deported and not beheaded.

4 Christian Foreigners Arrested In Libya For Proselytizing

It's perfectly okay for Muslims to proselytize. In fact they do it all the time in the West, they're compelled to. Search for 'Street Dawah' in Youtube and you will come up with a slew of videos of Muslim street preachers doing their thing from the streets of London to the streets of L.A. But Christians doing the same thing in Muslim countries wind up arrested and often jailed because unlike the West- where freedom of religion is an inalienable right- it's a crime to even distribute bibles or books about Christianity over there. In fact, it just happened in Libya:

Four people from Egypt, South Africa, South Korea and a Swedish/U.S. citizen were arrested on "suspicion" of proselytizing. The Swedes have confirmed, the U.S. has refused.

The four were arrested in the eastern city of Benghazi on Tuesday and are under investigation for printing and distributing books that proselytize Christianity. Police said they found 45,000 books in their possession and that another 25,000 have already been distributed.

Bin Hamid said that embassy officials have visited them. He would not say where they are being held.

Last year, the International Committee of the Red Cross had to suspend its activities in Benghazi after assailants launched attacks on its offices. The aid group was accused by some in Libya of distributing Bibles and proselytizing.

Quran 2:256 of Al-Baqara "There is no compulsion in religion"? Right.

Mark Steyn's Take On The Benghazi Attack

As always, Mark Steyn is spot on regarding the whole Benghazi incident: how it even happened in the first place, and how Barack Obama and the administration handled the aftermath.

In his article "Disgrace in Benghazi" he makes some very astute observations about the ineptitude of our current leadership. He asks why Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and General Martin Dempsey initially tried to mislead the world into thinking it had more to do with a spontaneous violent reaction to the anti-Islam film rather than a planned terrorist attack:

One can understand why they might do this, given the fiasco in Libya. The men who organized this attack knew the ambassador would be at the consulate in Benghazi rather than at the embassy in Tripoli. How did that happen? They knew when he had been moved from the consulate to a “safe house,” and switched their attentions accordingly. How did that happen? The United States government lost track of its ambassador for ten hours. How did that happen? Perhaps, when they’ve investigated Mitt Romney’s press release for another three or four weeks, the court eunuchs of the American media might like to look into some of these fascinating questions, instead of leaving the only interesting reporting on an American story to the foreign press.

How did that happen? Embassies in any region with Muslim majorities should be heavily fortified, especially in countries that are being led by Islamists or have militants in their midst, which is pretty much most of them. And I still want to know how the safe house was discovered.

He is also highly critical of how Barack Obama was more concerned with his celebrity status, and his campaign than dealing with this totally avoidable tragedy in the appropriate manner.

The president is too lazy and cocksure to have learned any prepared remarks or mastered the appropriate tone, notwithstanding that a government that spends more money than any government in the history of the planet has ever spent can surely provide him with both a speechwriting team and a quiet corner on his private wide-bodied jet to consider what might be fitting for the occasion. So instead he sloughs off the words, bloodless and unfelt: “And obviously our hearts are broken . . . ” Yeah, it’s totally obvious.

And he’s even more drunk on his celebrity than the fanbois, so in his slapdashery he winds up comparing the sacrifice of a diplomat lynched by a pack of savages with the enthusiasm of his own campaign bobbysoxers. No, no, says the Broadway director; that’s too crude, too ham-fisted. How about the crowd is cheering and distracted, but he’s the president, he understands the gravity of the hour, and he’s the greatest orator of his generation, so he’s thought about what he’s going to say, and it takes a few moments but his words are so moving that they still the cheers of the fanbois, and at the end there’s complete silence and a few muffled sobs, and even in party-town they understand the sacrifice and loss of their compatriots on the other side of the world.


But no, that would be an utterly fantastical America. In the real America, the president is too busy to attend the security briefing on the morning after a national debacle, but he does have time to do Letterman and appear on a hip-hop radio show hosted by “The Pimp with a Limp.” In the real State Department, the U.S. embassy in Cairo is guarded by Marines with no ammunition, but they do enjoy the soft-power muscle of a Foreign Service officer, one Lloyd Schwartz, tweeting frenziedly into cyberspace (including a whole chain directed at my own Twitter handle, for some reason) about how America deplores insensitive people who are so insensitively insensitive that they don’t respectfully respect all religions equally respectfully and sensitively, even as the raging mob is pouring through the gates.

And he wonders at the administrations total lack of concern that "sensitive" papers were taken from the Benghazi compound, papers which more than likely list Libyans who have been helpful to the U.S. We all know what happened to that doctor who led us to Osama Bin Laden. Rotting now in a Pakistani jail because we threw him under the bus.

Read Steyn's whole article here, on National Review Online

Libyan Cleric Calls On Muslims To "Detonate Our Wrath Upon Them" 3 Days After Murder Of U.S. Diplomats

While a few Libyans expressed sorrow, apologizing for the murder of our Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and 3 other U.S. diplomats, others- like this Libyan cleric, are encouraging more killings. On TV, no less.  Now these don't seem like militant types, and most seem bored and somewhat disinterested, but when your cleric advocates violence, it's hard not to take him up on it. And take note of  the young boys.  Shameful.

This preacher man calls for the people of Islam to:

"....detonate our wrath upon them, with deeds they will not be able to ignore."

The few who feel bad about what happened are just that, a few, and while one can appreciate the gesture of goodwill, it in no way makes up for the magnitude of what happened, and what is continuing to occur.

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.

Islamists Tear Down U.S. Flag In Egypt Over Anti-Islam Coptic Short Film

Although no-one knows exactly which anti-Islam film being produced in the U.S. pissed off the hordes in Egypt (and Libya), about 2,000 to 5,000 or so Islamists and soccer-Ultra fans joined forces and made their way to the Embassy in Cairo. Then a few proceeded to scale the Embassy walls and tore down the flag, replacing it with a plain black, al Qaeda-esque flag with:

“There is no god but Allah and Mohammad is his messenger.”

Warning shots were fired into the air by U.S. marine guards, and eventually Egyptian security forces took over, surrounding the compound.

More militant types in Libya actually tried to burn the U.S consulate down in Benghazi by lobbing a Rocket Propelled Grenade into the consulate. There was also fighting between the consulate guards and the militants over there which killed one American, and wounded another.

According to one witness in Cairo, the short film is being produced by some Egyptian Coptic Christian expats now living in the U.S.  This, in turn, has angered Coptics in Egypt, obviously afraid of retaliation.  Amil Ameen, a Copt and political commentator, said that these kinds of films:

“hurt Coptic Egyptians before their Muslim brothers.”

They also took advantage of the situation to stick it to the U.S. over its policies (though no mention of the money we give them), and waving pieces of the torn flag at news cameras.

The protests were organized by a few people:

Several individuals claimed responsibility for organizing the demonstrations, including Salafist leader Wesam Abdel-Wareth, who is president of Egypt's conservative Hekma television channel.

Mohammed al-Zawahiri -- the brother of al Qaeda's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri -- added that "we called for the peaceful protest joined by different Islamic factions including the Islamic Jihad, Hazem Abu Ismael movement."

"We were surprised to see the big numbers show up including the soccer Ultra fans," he said. "I just want to say, how would the Americans feel if films insulting leading Christian figures like the pope or historical figures like Abraham Lincoln were produced?"

He added that "the film portrays the prophet in a very ugly manner, eluding to topics like sex, which is not acceptable."

Some Americans might be offended, but they'd suck it up, and  you definitely would not find us out there tearing down some country's flag. According to one source, the film portrays Mohammed as gay, but then they've done the same thing to Jesus Christ, and there have been no violent protests.

Because of threats U.S. Embassy personnel were forewarned to stay away. The Embassy, in its usual politically correct way said that it:

"condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims -- as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions."
"Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy," the statement said. "We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others."

The only other thing I could find about the film is the following on Al Ahram:

The controversial film is reportedly being produced by US-based Coptic-Christian Egyptians, including Esmat Zaklama and Maurice Sadeq.

Maurice Sadeq, a Coptic lawyer based in the US, announced earlier this week that the US-based 'High Authority of the Coptic State' would broadcast the 13-minute film on Tuesday to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington.

Right or wrong, tacky or not, we have freedom of speech in this country, it's our inalienable right.



Sources: Al Arabiya, CNN, Al Ahram, 

UPDATE 9/12/12:
See the trailer that incited all the violence in Libya and the protests in Egypt.

Libyans Desecrate Gravestones Of British Soldiers Over Afghanistan Quran Burnings

In retaliation for the few Qurans that were inadvertently burned in Afghanistan by U.S. soldiers, Libyan thugs purposely smashed and desecrated the gravestones of Jewish and Christian British (and Allied) soldiers in the Benghazi Military Cemetery. Yes, those same Libyans who we helped during the Arab Spring and who have consequently chosen the Islamist route for their country, are as disrespectful, intolerant and violent as their extremist Muslim brothers in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere.

Talk about gratitude.  What a waste of time.