Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)
A Volunteer Human Rights Group – Choose Love, Not Hate – Love Wins
— Yosemite New Life Church of the Nazarene in Oakhurst
— KMPH: Madera Deputies Investigate Oakhurst Church Vandalism
— Vandals desecrate a church in Oakhurst
— CBS 47 News: Oakhurst Church Robbed and Vandalized
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating a pipe-bomb found at the scene of the May 10, 2010 attack at the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida (ICNEF) in Jacksonville, Florida.
WOKV reports that “The FBI is looking at this case as a possible hate crime, and now they’re analyzing it as a possible act of domestic terrorism. ‘It was a dangerous device, and had anybody been around it they could have been seriously injured or killed,’ says Special Agent James Casey. ‘We want to sort of emphasize the seriousness of the thing and not let people believe that this was just a match and a little bit of gasoline that was spread around.'” WJXT also reports that the FBI characterized the failed attacker as someone with knowledge of explosives, and at this time the suspect is wanted for arson and hate crimes. According to UPI, there were 60 people in the building at the time of the attack. First Coast News in Jacksonville is reporting on the condemnation of the possible terrorist attempt by local and national community leaders.
The FBI has released a surveillance video of the suspect in the May 10, 2010 attack on the Jacksonville, Florida mosque. From the video, the suspect appears to be a middle-aged white man.
Weblink to May 10 surveillance video
Surveillance video was also released of another man entering the mosque in April 2010, who reportedly shouted “stop this blaspheming.” The white male in the April video appears to be different from the suspect in the May 10, 2010 video.
Weblink to April surveillance video
The FBI is asking for those with any information on the May 10, 2010 bombing to contact the FBI at 904-248-7000, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at 904-630-0500, or CrimeStoppers of Northeast Florida at 866-277-8477.
The FBI Jacksonville web site is at:
http://jacksonville.fbi.gov/index.html
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Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) condemns such hate and violence. We support our unqualified, universal human rights, including our freedom of conscience and the pluralism to allow such freedoms. We urge all those who promote hate and violence to unburden their hearts from hate and violence.
Choose Love, Not Hate. Love Wins.
Stars and Stripes reports: “The cross, which has stood in various forms for the last 76 years as a memorial to World War I soldiers, was stolen late Sunday night or early Monday morning”
— “Vandals cut through a series of metal bolts to remove the cross — still covered by a wooden box — from its concrete foundation.”
— Daily Press reports:
— “Man admits vandalism guilt
— “Norfolk — A man entered a guilty plea Thursday to vandalizing a Norfolk synagogue with anti-Semitic stickers, and a judge put him on probation.”
— “Christopher John Brooks, 25, entered a guilty plea to one count of injury to cemetery or church. He had been in jail since his arrest in April 2009. He was given a five-year sentence, with all of the time suspended except for the year that he had already served.”
— “A co-defendant in the case, John Edward Grogran, 30, pleaded guilty to similar charges in February and is scheduled to be sentenced next week.”
On May 2, 2010, the “Westboro Baptist Church,” listed as a “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center, praised the deadly attacks on Christians in Iraq as part of the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) blog “GodSmack.”
The “hate group” Westboro Baptist Church praised the attack on Iraqi Christians that led to the death of one Christian shop keeper and injured at least 80 Iraqi Christian students who were traveling on buses when their buses were attacked by multiple bombs. The next day, between 2,500 and 3,000 Iraqi Christians protested the bus bomb attack on Christian students.
The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) “hate group” praised this attack on Christians, however, stating “THANK GOD FOR ATTACKS ON ‘CHRISTIAN’ COLLEGE STUDENTS IN IRAQ!”
The WBC “hate group” blog declared “20 busloads of students from ‘Christian’ towns and villages in the Nineveh Plain were heading back to the University of Mosul with Iraqi-soldier-escorts, when car and roadside bombs hit five of the buses, killing an Iraqi and seriously wounding 70 students. ‘I still do not know what they want from Christians.’ GodSmack! The enmity of the citizens of the world against the faithless-false religion fraudulently claiming the name ‘Christianity’ comes from God!”
The WBC “hate group” blog questions the Christianity of Iraqi Christian students who were attacked, putting quotation marks around the word Christian when praising attacks on them.
On April 21, 201, the Dove World Outreach Christian organization expressed their solidarity with the Westboro Baptist Church “hate group.”
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Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) supports our unqualified, universal human rights, including our freedom of religion and the necessary pluralism that such freedoms entail. We urge all those whose hearts are burdened by hate and who promote or praise violence, to unburden their hearts from hate and violence.
Choose Love, Not Hate. Love Wins.
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See also reports:
— Westboro Baptist Church Hate Group Praises Shooting of Detroit Police Officer
— Hate Group “Westboro Baptist Church” Cheers on Shooting of NYC Police Officer
— Westboro Baptist Church Hate Group Praises Floods and Tragic Deaths
— Westboro Baptist Church Hate Group Praises Mosque Bombing
— Kansas: “Westboro Baptist Church” Promotes Anti-Semitic Hate Videos – Promotes Holocaust Denial
— NYC: “Westboro Baptist Church” Hate Group Spreads Anti-Semitic Hate
— NYC: “Westboro Baptist” Hate Group to Protest New York Area Synagogues
— Father Of Dead Marine Ordered To Pay Legal Fees Of Westboro Baptist Church “Hate Group” Protesters
— Supreme Court to rule on protests at military funerals by “Westboro Baptist Church” “hate group”
— Dallas, Texas: “Westboro Baptist Church hate group at area Dallas schools”
— Westboro Baptist Church Hate Group Finds Ally in Dove World Outreach
AFP reports that between 2,500 and 3,000 individuals held a protest in the northern Iraqi town of Hamdaniyah to condemn the May 2, 2010 multiple bomb attack on buses of Christian students.
AFP – “Christians protest after north Iraq bomb attack”
— AFP reports: “Thousands of Christians protested in northern Iraq on Monday to condemn a bomb attack on a bus carrying students and workers which left one person dead and 80 wounded.”
— “‘We are not a minority, we are an authentic part of the Iraqi people,’ said a banner at the demonstration. ‘We ask the prime minister (Nuri al-Maliki) to stop the tragedy of the Christians,’ it added.”
— “Church leaders, supported by Arab tribes, led between 2,500-3,000 people at the demonstration.”
— “‘The government is silent and is doing nothing about (the trouble) we face,’ said Basim Sameer, a 47-year-old engineer.”
On May 2, 2010, multiple news media reports addressed the targeted attack on Christian students in Iraq on buses traveling to Mosul University with multiple bombs. The bombings wounded at least 80 and killed at least one person who was a Christian shop keeper.
On May 2, 2010, Radio Free Europe reported:
— “Police say a Christian shop owner was killed when a car bomb and a roadside bomb exploded near buses transporting students from the predominantly Christian town of Hamdaniya, some 40 kilometers east of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.”
— “Hamdaniya mayor Nissan Karoumi says everyone in bus was Christian, and they were traveling to the University of Mosul.”
On May 2, 2010, the Voice of America reported that:
— “Two separate bombs exploded along the road leading into the northern Iraqi city of Mosul Sunday killing at least one person and wounding at least 80 others. The bombs exploded near buses carrying Christian students who were traveling to Mosul University. Violence targeting the large Christian community in and around the city continues to anger and worry residents.”
— “The students were travelling by bus from Hamdaniya into Mosul when back to back bombs exploded with at least one blast tearing through the side of one of the buses, injuring dozens. Eyewitnesses say that shrapnel and shattered glass left many students dazed and bloodied, while a nearby shop-owner died from the force of the blast.”
— “A young man whose head was bandaged, face puffy and swollen, explained what happened from his hospital bed. He said that after his bus reached a clearing in the road the explosion took place about 100 meters further on. He goes on to say that he wasn’t paying attention when the blast occurred, but that he believes that two cars exploded.”
— “Another student described the situation on the bus after the explosions as ‘chaotic,’ with students screaming and blood all over. ‘I won’t forget (this day) for the rest of my life,’ he said.”
— “Christians in the violence-wracked northern city of Mosul have repeatedly been victimized by terrorist attacks in recent weeks and months. Some Sunni fundamentalists consider Christians to be infidels and supporters of the Shiite-led government in Iraq.”
On May 2, 2010, the New York Times reported that:
— “‘We were going for our education and they presented us with bombs,’ said Jamil Salahuddin Jamil, 25, a sophomore geography major, who was on board the lead bus. ‘I still do not know what they want from Christians.'”
— “The convoy of about 20 buses was taking students from Christian towns and villages in the Nineveh Plain, between Mosul and the semiautonomous Kurdistan region, back to classes at the University of Mosul.”
YouTube video on bus bombing
— video part 1
— video part 2
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Eleventh Annual Report on Religious Freedom in the World Released
— recommending “13 nations–Burma, China, North Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam–be named ‘countries of particular concern,’ or CPCs.”
— Watch List Nations: Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Laos, Russian Federation, Somalia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Venezuela
— USCIRF concerned about religious based violence and breakdown in justice – known as impunity
— “USCIRF has seen the effects of impunity firsthand—particularly on vulnerable minority religious groups—during fact-finding trips to Egypt, Nigeria, and Sudan. USCIRF also has monitored the state’s failure to punish private, religiously-motivated violence in Afghanistan, Eritrea, India, Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan.”
— Press Release
Pakistan, 12 others named violators of religious freedom
Egypt: US religious freedoms report finds support among local activists
Nigeria among worst violators of freedom
In American foreign policy, why religious freedom matters
Religious persecution is widespread, report warns
Religious Freedom Group Sees Rise In Persecution
British Muslims for Secular Democracy (BMSD) (Adobe Acrobat PDF) — “Think global act local: A study of the political choices of British Muslim students”
— BMSD release pilot study on the political participation of British Muslim students
Pakistan: ‘Hindu girl forced to convert to Islam’
— ExpressIndia and Agencies report: “A Hindu girl from Punjab province was kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam and is currently being held in a madrassa, leading Pakistani rights activist Ansar Burney said today.”
— “Burney said his rights organisation, the Ansar Burney Trust International, had learnt that 15-year-old Gajri, the daughter of Mengha Ram, was abducted by a Muslim neighbour from her home at Katchi Mandi, Liaquatpur, in Rahim Yar Khan district on December 21, 2009.”
— “Gajri’s parents later found out that she was beingheld captive in a madrassa or seminary in southern Punjab and that she had been married and converted to Islam, Burney said.”
— “The local administration is ‘refusing to respond to the abduction’ of the girl, who is not being allowed to leave the madrassa or to speak to her parents, he said.”