Over at Atlas Shrugs, Pamela Geller has posted a response to the latest “Muslim patrol” video to appear on YouTube. “For years now,” Geller pontificates, “Leftists and assorted ‘anti-racists’ have been denying the existence of these Sharia patrols….” It is of course true that we deny their existence, but that is for the simple reason that they don’t really exist.
Faiza Patel and Amos Toh ask: How many more lawsuits will it take for the NYPD to cease monitoring American citizens without a good explanation?
The Republican Women of Clifton will welcome three distinguished individuals at its February meeting. Dr. Ileana Johnson, the bestselling author of “U.N. Agenda 21: Environmental Piracy” will be joined by Stephanie Reis, the founder of the Omaha ACT for America Chapter and property rights advocate Martha Boneta.
“To preserve freedom in America, we must keep informed about the forces working to destroy our liberty so we can combat them,” said RWC President Alice Butler-Short. “Two of those forces are U.N. Agenda 21 and Sharia Law, and our speakers will give us insights into how these are undermining our country.”
Reis is the founder and former leader of the Omaha ACT for America Chapter, and will discuss the treatment of women in Islamic society and how the Hijab is a catalyst for Islamic terrorism.
An Internet-spread photo of a St. Paul Police officer wearing lipstick and a hijab, the traditional outfit for Muslim women, has angered community activists and spurred a department investigation.
“I was literally sick to my stomach,” said Ramla Bile of Minneapolis. “My identity is not a costume, and it’s not OK for cultures to be turned into caricatures.”
Police Chief Thomas Smith immediately opened an investigation. Police spokesman Howie Padilla confirmed that an officer is depicted in the picture, but could not release his identity Monday.
“The St. Paul Police Department has worked hard to establish a strong and respectful relationship with our Muslim communities, and I will not allow these types of images to erode that relationship,” Smith said in a written statement. “Diversity is one of the greatest strengths of the city of St. Paul, and we expect each one of our officers to respect and take pride in serving each of our diverse communities.”
The question is posed by US radio talk show host Laurie Roth.
Lawyers have accused the New York police department of creating climate of fear and call for an independent monitor to oversee counter-terrorism efforts, the Guardian reports.
Charlotte Silver reports on the case of Tareq Abufayyad.
Members of a Muslim family whose house was shot at during a drive-by Thursday evening think they were targeted because of their faith.
Tuesday, a stranger driving by Allie and Maryam Taghavi’s home in southwest Oklahoma City stopped and asked their 21-year-old son the family’s religion.
A large sign hung on the porch and visible from the road said, “as-salamu alaykum,” an Arabic phrase often used by Muslims meaning “peace be with you.”
Without any suspicion, their son told the stranger they were Muslim, Allie Taghavi said. The stranger then drove away.
Then, two days later on Thursday evening, Allie Taghavi was home with three of his adult children when shots were fired around 7:45 p.m. from a car driving south on S Olie Avenue near their home at SW 30. “I screamed when I heard the shots, but it was so rapid … like firecrackers,” he said.
WEST BLOOMFIELD — The Michigan Supreme Court won’t hear an appeal over the sale of a Detroit-area school for a mosque and Islamic community center.
In an order released Saturday, the court said a September decision by the appeals court in favor of the Farmington school district will stand.
The Islamic Cultural Association bought the vacant Eagle Elementary School in West Bloomfield Township in 2011. Some residents sued, claiming the deal was somehow corrupt and hidden from the public. An Oakland County judge and the appeals court have said critics have no standing to sue.
The Islamic association has said opponents are unfairly targeting people over their Muslim faith. The West Bloomfield Planning Commission has not taken action on the proposed mosque.
Associated Press, 2 February 2013
See also “State Supreme Court rejects appeal of West Bloomfield mosque opponents”, West Bloomfield Patch, 2 Febuary 2013
Try as al-Qaida might to encourage them, American Muslims still aren’t committing acts of terrorism. Only 14 people out of a population of millions were indicted for their involvement in violent terrorist plots in 2012, a decline from 2011’s 21. The plots themselves hit the single digits last year.
So much for a widespread stereotype. According to data tracked by the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security in North Carolina and released Friday (.PDF), there were nine terrorist plots involving American Muslims in 2012. Only one of them, the attempted bombing of a Social Security office in Arizona, actually led to any violence. There were no casualties in that or any other incident. And the Triangle study tracksindictments, not convictions.
Terrorist incidents from American Muslims is on the decline for the third straight year. After an uptick in 2009, there were 18 plots in 2011 involving 21 U.S. Muslims. And it’s not just violent plots: Fewer Muslim-Americans are getting indicted for money laundering, material support for terrorism, and lying to investigators. There were 27 people indicted on those terror-support charges in 2010, eight in 2011 and six in 2012.