Terror Verdict in Canada

From The Globe and Mail – "Judge says firebomb attacks were acts of terrorism, man sentenced to 4 years"

"He had been depicted as immature, naive and devoid of religious fanaticism. Yet Azim Ibragimov was committing acts of terrorism when he firebombed two Jewish institutions in Montreal, a judge said yesterday."

Despite efforts to paint him as a minor player in the attacks, Quebec Court Judge Gilles Cadieux said Mr. Ibragimov played an "active role" in the two firebombings, which he qualified as hate crimes that spread fear and "panic" in the Jewish community.

It is sometimes difficult to understand the motives behind these two terror attacks. What we are certain about is that Ibragimov's attacks succeeded in causing damage, both physical and psychological, to its victims in the Jewish community. Score one for the prosecutors and judge who got this guy off the street.

Stephen M. Flatow

Israel: 250 Palestinians to Be Released

The New York Times reports that "Israel said that it would release 250 Palestinian prisoners next month as a gesture to the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas." According to the report "the candidates for release were aligned with Mr. Abbas’s Fatah movement and would not include members of Islamist organizations."

Another effort by Israel to curry favor with the Palestinians? What has Israel learned from past releases? First that many released prisoners return to the terror groups they left. Second, there is no effort by the Palestinian Authority to comply with any of its obligations as agreed upon in the Roadmap.

FoxNews also picks up on the story.

I subscribe to the theory that a leopard is incapable of changing its spots. The same applies to terrorists.

Stephen M. Flatow

Saudi King's Interfaith Conference - a Follow-up

Last week we wrote about the Saudi king's interfaith conference at the United Nations. Today New York Post writer Benny Avni weighs in with a column called UN Masquerade.

Recognizing that the "king won much praise last week for convening talks at the United Nations ostensibly meant to promote peace and 'religious tolerance'" Avni advises that

"if you take a close look at King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud's agenda, some of it is hardly praiseworthy. In fact, if he gets any traction at the UN (or anywhere else), it'll mark a giant step backward for both peace and tolerance."

Writing about what he calls a "scary agenda," Avni points out that the king

"wants the world's moral blessing to restrict any and all speech about Islam,its adherents and regimes that promote them - except, of course, that which is approved by official censors. He also wants to throw the UN's moral weight behind punishments meted out to those who violate such restrictions, even if he doesn't say that explicitly.

"Meanwhile, Abdullah failed to make even the slightest gesture toward softening his own regime's brutal intolerance of other religions and cultures. Some parley on "religious tolerance."

Looks like the king is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Let's hope the world is smart enough to see through his latest PR stunt.

Read UN Masquerade

The Saudis Dubious Interfaith Agenda at the UN

"The country's lack of religious freedom betrays its lofty rhetoric. The real aim of its 'dialogue' is to promote a global blasphemy law." So write, Donald H. Argue and Leonard A. Leo in today's (Nov. 13, 2008) edition of the Christian Science Monitor.

They write

World leaders gathering at the United Nations this week for a special session of the General Assembly to advance interfaith dialogue should have no illusions that their efforts will miraculously promote mutual respect between religious communities or end abuses of religious freedom.

"What," you ask, "does this have to do with terrorism?" Good question with a better answer. Terrorism as we know it today arises from intolerance of views. How much different is it when Palestinians murder Israelis because they see no place for Jews in the Middle East and Islamists murder artists for "blaspheming" Mohammed? Not much, if you ask me, because Islamists believe that it is either their way or the highway, the bloody highway.


The Saudis' dubious interfaith agenda at the UN | csmonitor.com

Holy Land Foundation Trial Nearing End

The retrial of the Holy Land Foundation is nearing its end but you would not know that if you read The New York Times. Why is it that Federal terror prosecutions do not receive the coverage our present state of affairs would seem to require? I take that back, a little, because the news has been full of stories dealing with Federal prosecutorial missteps when dealing with the subject.
The Holy Land Foundation is standing trial a second time for its alleged support of Hamas, a designated terror organization. The defense? All money went to charitable purposes.

Today's news is from the Dallas News.