Pakistan Celebrates Independence, While Ignoring Religious Persecution and Intolerance

Pakistan: Terrorism, extremism biggest national worries: PM Gilani
— Country facing terrorism due to wrong decisions of dictator: PM Gilani
— April 16, 2008 – Pakistan National Assembly passes resolution calling for U.N. to impose death penalty internationally for blasphemy
— “Information Minister Sherry Rehman and Sahibzada Fazle Karim moved the two resolutions.”
— “Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani… arrived moments after the passage of the resolutions”

Pakistan: New Poll Shows 78 Percent of Pakistanis Support Death Penalty for Leaving Islam

Pakistan Army Chief Kayani : We are against terrorism, not religion
— Kayani: “Islam is the soul and spirit of Pakistan. It is our strength and we will always be an Islamic republic.”

Pakistan: August 14 — a day to thank God for blessing us with freedom: Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer
— Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer: “Pakistan had come into existence to establish a society based on justice, tolerance and equality”
— July 4, 2009 – Muslims attack Christian homes in Punjab
— “A mob of some 600 people attacked about a hundred Christian homes in Bahmani, a village in Kasur district in Punjab”
— “A cleric in a local mosque accused the Christians of blasphemy inciting his fellow Muslims to attack the Christians.”
— March 13, 2009: Punjab’s Rawalpindi: Christian Faces ‘Blasphemy’ Abetting Charge, Dangers
— March 7, 2009: Punjab: One killed in attack on church in Pakistan

—- related report
Pakistan Human Rights Commission after Gojra attacks
— Asma Jahangir, the chairperson of the Human Rights Commission: “For too long the Pakistani state has protected people with extremist views… It is not just political parties. There are radicalised individuals, and supporters of militant groups within the judiciary, the education system, the bureaucracy and police as well.”


Iran Protest News – August 14

Iranian opposition plans new wave of resistance
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/

Iran: Reformers call for probe of Iran supreme leader
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090814/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran_5
— Reformists in Iran: Investigate if Khamenei qualified to rule
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1249418608677&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Iran candidate says prisoners tortured to death
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSHAF23304820090813

Allegations of torture against opponents of the president
http://www.economist.com/world/mideast-africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14222321

Hardline cleric urges tough stance on Iran detainees
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSHAF23304820090814

Iranian opposition plans new wave of resistance
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6796583.ece

Iran delays release on bail of French student
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6795381.ece

Jordan: “Honor Killing” – Man Charged with Killing Married Sister

— Strait Times: “Man charged for killing sister”:
— “A criminal prosecutor has charged a man with shooting to death of his pregnant sister to cleanse the family’s honor because she got married without their approval”
— “Violent Extemism al-Diridi filed the charges of premeditated murder and illegal possession of weapons to the court Thursday.”
— “The prosecutor said the 23-year-old woman got married two years ago and had a baby boy.”
— “She later reconciled with her parents, who invited her to her brother’s wedding Wednesday.”
— “Al-Diridi said the man shot his sister in the head and abdomen after the wedding party.”
— “He said the woman’s husband was beaten by two other brothers, who were charged with assisting the crime.”
— “An average of 20 Jordanian women are murdered each year by male relatives in so-called ‘honor killings.'”

Pakistan: New Poll Shows 78 Percent of Pakistanis Support Death Penalty for Leaving Islam

— 83 percent support stoning adulterers
— Consistent with previous polls where 75 percent have called for implementation of strict Sharia law by Pakistan government

— Pew Global Press Release

— Complete report
— Report page 3 — “The new poll finds broad support for harsh punishments: 78% favor death for those who leave Islam; 80% favor whippings and cutting off hands for crimes like theft and robbery; and 83% favor stoning adulterers.”
— Questions 62b, 62c, and 62d, page 17
— Page 18 – “only 16% of Pakistanis express a favorable view of the U.S.”

U.S. Congressman Pays Tribute to Chinese Martyr Watchman Nee

U.S. Congressman Pays Tribute to Chinese Martyr Watchman Nee
— China Aid reports:
— “On July 30, Congressman Christopher Smith (NJ-04) spoke from the House of Representatives’ floor to pay tribute to Chinese Christian martyr Watchman Nee. Congressman Smith wanted to recognize Nee, who is known around the world for his Christian witness and influence, and whose books are still banned in China today.”

Egypt – AINA Report: “Abduction and Forced Islamization of Christian Coptic Girls Continues in Egypt”

Egypt – AINA Report: “Abduction and Forced Islamization of Christian Coptic Girls Continues in Egypt”
— “Another recent victim of abduction is 15-year old Marian Bishay, who went out on July 15, 2009 to get dinner for her mother and young brothers from a local restaurant, 50 meters away from where she lives in Omrania, Giza, but failed to return home. The local police succumbed to pressure and issued a missing person report after initially refusing.”
— “some reports said she was raped and forced to convert to Islam, while others said that she was kept in Alexandria against her will.”
— “The systematic abduction and forced Islamization of Coptic minor girls in Egypt is a frequent, dangerous and a rapidly escalating phenomenon, The problem was brought to light by the Coptic Pope Shenouda III as far back as December 17th, 1976, when he protested during a conference held in Alexandria that ‘there is pressure being practiced to convert Coptic girls to embrace Islam and marry them under terror to Muslim husbands’ and demanded that the abducted girls be brought back to their families.”

marianbishay

Philippines: “Constant Terror” of Extremist Violence against Christians in Zamboanga

— LA Times: “Philippine city lives in constant terror”
— LA Times reports: “Zamboanga City is on the front lines of the Philippines’ fight against terrorists, located in the troubled south where Muslim militants have been battling troops and hitting civilian targets.”
— “Restaurant owner Lyra Quitay is blind in one eye. Her arms, chest and legs bear painful black scars and her right hand is so gnarled that it resembles a claw when she signs her name.”
— “In October 2001, a terrorist’s bomb ripped through the claustrophobic downtown market where Quitay runs a tiny kitchen, instantly killing her security guard and blowing a hole in her life.”
— “The guard had gone to investigate an abandoned duck egg cart; when he opened the lid on a pot, it exploded — ripping off his head and leaving Quitay with injuries so severe that she still wakes up crying at night.”
— “‘Every time I even hear the word ‘bomb’ I get nervous,’ said Quitay, 43. ‘It’s the trauma of living in Zamboanga City.'”
— “On the front lines of the Philippines’ campaign against terrorism, this bustling port city on the island of Mindanao has become an armed camp, a community under siege.”
— “At the heart of the violence is a network of Islamic terrorist groups waging war against the government of the predominantly Christian Philippine archipelago, using the jungle as cover to train recruits and organize strikes at will.”

Pakistan: Human Rights leaders expect more attacks on Christians

More attacks on Christians feared
UCAN reports:
— “Peace activists predict that extremists may target more Christian communities unless the government changes its policies and laws.”
— “‘I am afraid to say it, but we may expect more attacks in areas where Christians are a sizeable number,’ said Father Emmanuel Yousaf Mani, national director of the Catholic Bishop’s National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP).”
— “According to advocate Mehboob Ahmed Khan of the HRCP, extremism is one of the major challenges facing the Muslim-dominated country. ‘More Christian settlements will be attacked, more blood will be spilled in coming months. The perpetrators will use the same old blasphemy laws as an excuse,’ he told the seminar participants.”
— “A press statement was also issued at the event in which the NCJP demanded the abolition of laws that provoke hatred, the amendment of discriminatory articles in the constitution, and the arrest of those who kill in the name of religion, among other matters.”

Arizona: Accused White Supremacist Remains in Custody over 2004 Bombing – former Ku Klux Klan leader Dennis Mahon

— AP reports: “Ruling bars release of man arrested in 2004 bombing”
— “An alleged white supremacist charged in a 2004 bombing that injured a black city official in Scottsdale will remain in federal custody because he poses a threat to the community and is a flight risk, a judge ruled Tuesday.”
— “The ruling, from U.S. District Judge David Campbell, reverses an Illinois federal magistrate’s order in July to release Daniel Mahon, 58, on a $50,000 cash bond.”
— “‘No conditions of release would reasonably ensure the safety of the community,’ Campbell wrote in his ruling. ‘Daniel has described himself as a domestic terrorist and has espoused views against not only minority groups but the government generally.'”
— “Daniel Mahon and his twin brother, Dennis Mahon, were arrested in the bombing June 25 at their home in Davis Junction, Ill., where authorities say they found assault weapons, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and white-supremacist material.”

Previous Reports:

— The Kansas City Star reports on “former Kansas City area Ku Klux Klan leader Dennis Mahon”

Arizona: Judge delays decision on releasing alleged bomber — reported white supremacists

Arizona: Judge delays decision on releasing alleged bomber — reported white supremacists

Arizona: 2 White supremacists arrested in 2004 letter bombing

Kansas City: Former area Ku Klux Klan (KKK) leader, brother indicted in 2004 mail bombing

California: Police seek 2 white supremacists suspected of hate crime attack

California: Police seek 2 white supremacists suspected of hate crime attack
— Orange County Register reports:
— “3 men, 1 woman suspected in attack on Latino in Huntington Beach after seeking ‘non-white’ to assault, police said.”
— “Police are looking for a man and woman who they believe may be white supremacists in a group of four who assaulted a Latino man last month and were driven away by neighbors, officials said.”
— “Huntington Beach police have issued an arrest warrant for Erin Brooks, 24, of Huntington Beach, and Brian Hanson, 26, of Santa Ana, police said.”
— “Michael Powell, 21, of Anaheim, and Bret Hicks, 30 of Riverside, who are also suspected in the attack, are in custody at the Orange County Jail and are scheduled for arraignment Monday.”
— “All four have been charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault with hate crime enhancements, which could lead to about 20 years in prison, Huntington Beach police spokesman Russell Reinhart said.”
— “The four people are being identified as white supremacists based on their tattoos, which say ‘Skinhead,’ ‘White Pride’ and ‘Hate’ and have references to ‘Heil Hitler’ and a Nazi swastika, prosecutors and court documents said.
— “Reinhart said three men and a woman were circling the Oak View community, a predominantly Latino neighborhood in Huntington Beach, about 11:55 p.m. July 3 to hurt someone who is ‘non-white,’ Reinhart said.”
— “When the group found the victim standing in an alley speaking with another person, they attacked, yelling racial slurs, Reinhart said. The Orange County Register is excluding the victim’s name because of concerns for his safety.”
— “About five years ago, Brooks was in the car with Billy Joe “BJ Psycho” Johnson when police discovered the body of a 26-year-old Laguna Niguel man named Cory Lamons in the trunk, the Register reported at the time.”
— “Johnson, a former Nazi Low Rider with SS lightning bolts inked on his throat, was convicted in 2006 for beating the man to death for stealing $12,000 from a stripper named Wild Kitten. Brooks was charged with murder, but entered into a plea deal in 2005 that resulted in felony probation. “