Four Saudi security officers killed by suicide bomber in Medina
Four Saudi security officers were killed by a suicide bomber who said he wanted to eat iftar (the meal that breaks the Ramadan fast) with them.
Four Saudi security force members were killed on Monday after a
suicide bombing took place in Madinah near the prophet’s mosque, the
Al-Haram Al-Nabawi, regarded as one of Islam's holiest sites.
Al
Arabiya News Channel’s correspondent said the suicide bombing took
place in a parking lot between the city court and the mosque, visited by
millions every year. The channel showed images of fire raging in a
parking lot with at least one body seen nearby. The suicide bomber also
died in the attack.
The attack near the
prophet's mosque took place during Maghreb prayers, the time when
Muslims break their fast during the holy month of Ramadan.
Al
Arabiya News Channel’s correspondent said the suicide bomber targeted
seven security officers when he pretended that he wanted to break his
fast with them.
Security forces have cordoned off the area.
Two
million visitors have so far arrived at Al-Haram Al-Nabawi during
Ramadan to finish recitation of the Quran. The correspondent said the
visitors were undeterred and were heading to perform the Isha prayers,
which take place soon after the inital fast-breaking prayer.
There were two other suicide bombings in Qaif today and a foiled attack in Jeddah. Sounds like the Saudis need a little help coping with all the terrorists they've supported over the years.... Oh wait.... These are probably Shia terrorists backed by Iran.... Hmmm....
Double suicide bombing in Hezbullah's Beirut stronghold (with video)
41 people were killed and over 200 wounded in a double suicide bombing in Beirut on Thursday afternoon. A third suicide bomber blew himself up before he could join the others.
According to a Lebanese security official, the first suicide attacker
detonated his explosives' vest outside a Shiite Mosque, while the
second blew himself up inside a nearby bakery.
An apparent third suicide attacker was found dead, his legs blown off
while he still wore an intact explosives' belt, said the official,
speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. The
official speculated the third may have been killed from the explosion of
the second suicide attacker, as he was reportedly close to that blast.
The Al-Mayadeen TV also reported there was a third would-be suicide
attacker, describing him as a bearded young man who wore an explosives'
belt. The report said he was killed before he was able to detonate the
explosives.
Hospitals in southern Beirut were calling on people to donate blood
and appealed on residents not to gather at the hospital gates so that
ambulanced and emergency staff could work unhindered.
Shortly after the explosions, ambulances rushed to the area and
started evacuating the wounded and the dead as Lebanese troops and
Hezbollah gunmen cordoned the area, preventing anyone from getting
close.
"There is a massacre inside and we will not let you take photos," a
Hezbollah member screamed at an Associated Press photographer at the
scene.
That may explain why I could not find images of the attacks.
An hour later, ambulance sirens could still be heard in Beirut streets.
Hezbollah also called on people to leave all coffee shops in the
area, which are usually packed with people, and urged residents to
inform the group about any suspicious moves.
ISIS? Could be. As long as the Muslims are only killing each other, the world will not care, so pass the popcorn.
Some news outlets had initially reported Iraqi security sources as
saying the blast was the result of a car bomb which prematurely exploded
on a desert road about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the city of
Samarra. Samarra's suburbs have long been a Sunni stronghold in a Shia
country.
Local militias told AFP that the terrorists had been filming
a propaganda video before a planned suicide bombing when the vehicle
exploded. Instead, the terrorists filmed their own deaths.
According to the Washington Post, the explosion occurred
just outside a terrorist training camp, where the terrorists had been
planning on adding a segment on car bomb assembly to the film.
But according to a New York Times report the incident
occurred as a well-known commander of the Islamic State of Iraq and the
Levant (ISIS), an Al Qaeda franchise which is also involved in the
Syrian civil war, accidentally detonated himself during a training
session. He apparently did not realize that the belt he was wearing was
"live"; the blast killed 21 of his students and injured up to 20 others.
Here we go again: Double suicide bombing in Damascus
There's been a double suicide bombing in Damascus according to Syrian state television. Independent sources make it sound more likely that explosive devices were planted rather than exploded by suicide bomber.
Two suicide bombers struck the heart of the Syrian
capital Tuesday morning, causing an unknown number of casualties, said
official television channel al-Ikhbariya.
"Two suicide bombers attacked Marjeh square causing casualties and material damage," the broadcaster said.
The channel screened images showing badly damaged vehicles and bloodied pavements.
"It seems the terrorists have struck again," said a
television presenter, using the regime's term to refer to rebels
fighting President Bashar Assad's troops.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported
the blasts, but said they were caused by explosive devices planted in
the neighborhood.
"Several people were wounded by two explosive device
blasts in Marjeh square in Damascus," said the Britain-based
Observatory, which relies on a broad network of activists, doctors and
lawyers for its reports.
Well, someone might be telling the truth. I'd bet on the Observatory.
I can’t help but wonder about Eric Harris, Dylan Klebold, Seung-Hui Cho
and Adam Lanza. If they had been born in Gaza or the West Bank, shaped
by terrorist organizations’ hateful propaganda, would they have strapped
bombs around their waists and blown themselves up? I’m afraid the
answer is yes.
Maybe. But we'd be fooling ourselves if we think that Izz al-Din Shuheil al-Masri, Saeed Hotari or Abdel-Basset Odeh would have become suicide bombers had they lived in a society other than the 'Palestinians,' and that is the more relevant question.
Each of the non-Muslim Americans mentioned by Lankford acted on his own. That is not the case with the 'Palestinians.' This is from a Daniel Pipes piece called Arafat's Suicide Factory.
The system works: Hassan reports that "hordes of young men" clamor to be
sent to their own obliteration. Hamas and Islamic Jihad have
established a process of selection based in the mosques, where "a
notably zealous youth" ready for martyrdom gets noted by clerics who
recommend him for selection.
Those who make the cut enter a protracted, highly supervised, and
disciplined regimen of spiritual studies and military-like training.
These adepts are taught to see suicide operations as a way to "open the
door to Paradise" for themselves and their families. "I love martyrdom"
says one such "living martyr."
Just before setting off on an attack, the men engage in exquisitely
pious preparations (ablutions, clean clothing, a communal prayer
service). Their deaths are celebrated by Hamas or Islamic Jihad by
orchestrating a festive funeral celebration ("as if it were a wedding,"
Hassan observes) and distributing video cassettes with a statement from
beyond the grave. The sponsoring organizations then make sure that the
family receives both social kudos and financial rewards.
These facts tell us three things: Militant Islamic suicide killers are
not born; they are manufactured. Like the four simultaneous suicide
hijackings on Sept. 11, the four nearly simultaneous suicide attacks in
Israel last week resulted from long-term planning by sophisticated
organizations. They cannot operate clandestinely, but require the
permission of a ruling authority, either the Taliban or the PA.
Previous studies have shown that most suicide bombers are religious, young, male, unmarried, and unemployed, with some high school education (Ganor 2000). A study that examined the sociodemographic characteristics of suicide versus non-suicide terrorists revealed significant differences between the two types of terrorists: the mean age of suicide bombers was 24.5 years, they were older than non-suicide terrorists, more suicide bombers than non-suicide terrorists were educated in religious schools, and the percentage of suicide terrorists affiliated with religious fundamentalist organizations was higher than that of non-suicide terrorists (Pedahzur et al. 2003). It should be noted the sociodemographic characteristics of the suicide bombers (young, unmarried, and unemployed) are congruent with those of suicide bombers in other terrorist organizations such as the “Black Tigers” (LTTE) in Sri Lanka (Gunaratna 2000) and female suicide bombers acting on behalf of the PKK in Turkey (Ergil 2000). Most of the female suicide bombers in Palestinian society are also in their twenties and single. However, in contrast to male suicide bombers, they have a higher level of education than the average population. In fact, some female suicide bombers are graduates of universities or other institutions of higher education (Berko 2004; Yaffeh 2003).
These people are not mentally ill. Many, if not most of them, believe that they are helping their societies.
But perhaps the biggest difference is in the third factor cited by Lankford:
The third factor is the desire to acquire fame and glory through
killing. More than 70 percent of murder-suicides are between spouses or
romantic or sexual partners, and these crimes usually take place at
home. Attackers who commit murder-suicide in public are far more brazen
and unusual. Most suicide terrorists believe they will be honored and
celebrated as “martyrs” after their deaths and, sure enough, terrorist
organizations produce martyrdom videos and memorabilia so that other
desperate souls will volunteer to blow themselves up.
But suicide bombing attacks commonly take place in public. Most importantly, in American society, people like Adam Lanza are shunned and scorned, whereas in 'Palestinian' society, suicide bombers are praised and lionized. While Columbine shooter Eric Harris may have "fantasized with his fellow attacker, Dylan Klebold, that the filmmakers
Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino would fight over the rights to
their life story," among the 'Palestinians' that sort of thing actually happens. While Lanza had to murder his mother to get her weapons, a 'Palestinian' mother is thrilled that her child would become a suicide bomber. Maybe that's why an Adam Lanza is a rarity in the West, while for every 'successful' 'Palestinian' suicide bomber, there are tens, if not hundreds more who are caught before they can do their deed.
Other Muslims share the 'Palestinians' admiration for suicide bombers. More here.
Video: New York Muslim Day speaker lauds suicide babies
A speaker at New York's Muslim Day lauded 'suicide babies' prompting a New York State Senator to flee from the stage (Hat Tip: MFS - The Other News).
A New York State Senator stormed off the stage of a Muslim Day speech
by a jihadist who said, “We have the unborn martyrs in our wombs.”
Under this year’s theme that “Islam advocates peace and justice for
all, an Imam from Brooklyn told last week’s parade, where State Sen.
Tony Avello was a marshal and sat on stage, that the United Nations
should pass a law that would criminalize blasphemy.”
His speech was only a warm-up for that made by an Arab woman jihadist
with a British accent and poetic speech who declared, "We have the
unborn martyrs in our wombs and drop bombs in here because all that we
blow up is mines in minefields. They [Palestinians] resonate in refugee
camps and are hosted by Zionist Nazis.”
That was too much for State Senator Avella, who rushed off the stage.
Let's go to the videotape.
You can take Muslims out of the 8th century, but you can't take the 8th century out of Muslims.
Al-Qaeda has a shortage of suicide bombers and is looking to recruit anyone who is absolutely willing to carry out a suicide mission.
Apparently low on bombers, al-Qaeda is running a (short-term) employment advertisement on its Shumukh al-Islam Internet forum. Under the heading “Area of activity: The planet Earth,” the ad seeks jihadists to carry out suicide attacks.
Applicants must be Muslim, mentally mature, dedicated, able to listen, and utterly committed to completing their mission, the Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Tuesday.
Several email addresses are provided for applicants. While their real names are not required, candidates are asked to send details of their nickname or handle, their age, marital status, languages spoken and a list of passports in their possession.
The ad on the forum, which is accessible only to al-Qaeda members, specifies the targets of the terror attacks that applicants will be expected to carry out, including “People who fight Islam and Muslims” and enemy “financial, military and media targets.”
...
The ad has elicited several positive responses, the Yedioth article claimed.
Of course: Iran accuses Israel in Bulgaria terror attack
Since Iran would not hesitate to murder its own citizens for political gain, it's not surprising that it would accuse Israel of doing the same thing. But of course it's a lie.
"It's amazing that just a few minutes after the terrorist attack, Israeli officials announced that Iran was behind it," Iran's UN Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee told a UN Security Council debate on the Middle East. "We have never and will not engage in such a despicable attempt on... innocent people."
"Such terrorist operation could only be planned and carried out by the same regime whose short history is full of state terrorism operations and assassinations aimed implicating others for narrow political gains," Khazaee said. "I could provide ... many examples showing that this regime killed its own citizens and innocent Jewish people during the last couple of decades.
Israel's UN Ambassador Haim Waxman said Iran's fingerprints were all over the bomb attack in Bulgaria, as well as dozens of other plots in recent months around the world.
"These comments are appalling, but not surprising from the same government that says the 9/11 attack was a conspiracy theory and denies the Holocaust," Waxman said in a statement.
Al-Arabiya is reporting that the suicide bomber who murdered five Israelis in Bulgaria last Wednesday likely had an accomplice.
An autopsy on a suicide bomber who killed five Israeli tourists and a bus driver in Bulgaria show he was different from an “Arab-looking” suspect cited by witnesses, a doctor said on Sunday.
Galina Mileva, who was involved in the post-mortem examination, told BNT television on Sunday that the man “had a white face, light eyes, and very thick brown hair. The facial bones were shattered in the explosion.”
...
Bulgaria’s Pressa newspaper and the bTV channel said the bomber could have had an accomplice who detonated the explosives by cellphone.
A man and his wife who ran a car rental service earlier said they recognized the suspect who came to hire a vehicle. They said he had a wad of 500-euro bills and refused to rent him a car as his U.S. driving license appeared to be a fake.
Bourgas prosecutor Kalina Tchapkanova quoted witnesses as saying the man “spoke English with a slight accent” and appeared to be Arab.
The car rental service owner’s wife Afrodita Petrova said she was sure he was of Arab origin and had a shaven head.
But Bourgas journalist Katia Kassabova from the besove.bg website which carried the first images of the attack said Sunday that “the bomber is not the man who tried to rent the car. He could be an accomplice.
I'm sure he had a lot of other accomplices outside the airport as well.
Foreign Press Association wants to keep their pants on
The Foreign Press Association is furious because an al-Jazeera camera man was required to remove his pants for inspection before being allowed in to film an interview with Israel's President, Shimon Peres.
"The Foreign Press Association demands that Israeli Authorities immediately cease undressing foreign and Arab journalists at official events," the statement said.
"This outrageous policy is an affront to common sense, an assault on human dignity and a blight upon the state of Israel. It simply must stop," the statement continued.
"The latest outrage occurred earlier today when an Al Jazeera cameraman was asked to remove his pants upon arrival for an interview with President Shimon Peres - an interview that came at the invitation of the president himself to criticize anti-Muslim violence! The explanations we have received - that such inspections are necessary for Arab journalists - are deeply troubling in a country that bills itself as the Middle East's only democracy."
The statement went on to say: "It is not the first time this has happened. This pattern has existed for years and has become more entrenched and aggressive over the past year."
"We respect Israel's need to maintain tight security. But when there is so much technology available to scan both people and their belongings, such practices cannot be justified and have nothing to do with security. The truth is darker and sadder: This lamentable policy combines blatant racism with systematic and ham-handed media harassment," the statement said.
The statement also attacked the Shin Bet and PMO. "Sadly, by now we expect nothing better from the Shin Bet. Frankly, we have ceased hoping that the Prime Minister's Office - scene of some of the most persistent abuses - will intervene," it said.
"But it is deeply disappointing that this policy is also accepted and enabled by the office of Shimon Peres - a Nobel Peace Laureate and outspoken advocate of human rights and progressive thinking. We respectfully call on the President to use the influence of his office to end this abomination," the statement continued.
But the article goes on to point out that Peres has no authority over the security authorities, and that while most of the complaints have come from Arabs, Jews and non-Arabs have also been subject to invasive searches. While the media would like to be exempted from the rules, given that suicide bombers elsewhere have hidden their wares in body cavities and clothing, I don't see how it's possible for Israel to avoid these types of searches. The article - by JPost's Greer Fay Cashman - mentions the possibility of using technology, but the technology is nowhere near as thorough as the good, old fashioned body search.
Make sure you pass this article on to any potential suicide bombers and any Muslims you might know. This is a suicide bomber recounting his last interview with the village Mullah before journeying to Tehran to join the 'Martyrs Brigade.'
Me. Well, Your Person, I am truly ashamed to ask troubling questions, most of which have been implanted in my mind by this evil tent-mate. For instance, I am confused about the promised paradise and the reward for a martyr – I mean the promised 72 virgins…
Mullah. Yes, yes, go on. What about it?
Me. I hope you forgive me. But, with your permission I will try and lump my questions about the 72 virgins. Would I be married to all 72 of them? I know that we are allowed four wives on earth and as many seeghe (temporary wife) as we wish or we can afford. In this accursed earth, not only I couldn't afford one virgin for wife, even a widow declined my parents’ proposal to marry me. Furthermore, I couldn't even afford to have one seeghe. So, you understand that I am a healthy 26-year old man and I find this promise most alluring to me…
Mullah. Yes I understand. So what is the problem?
Me. Well, as I said, will all 72 of them be my wives? Would I be able to divorce one or all of them? Can I punish them if they misbehave, like women are wont to do? Having the same 72 virgins forever is a long long time. Could I get rid of them and get some new ones? Would I be able to choose my virgins from a lineup or will they be assigned to me, whether I like them or not? You see, Your Person, I hate to confess this. I have a hankering for special kind of women – the blue-eye-blonds, the infidel European and Americans. Would they be in heaven, would Allah make exception for them since they are so beautiful? Allah can make exceptions, the scripture say, “He does as he wills and ordains as he wishes.” The type of women I am talking about I have seen in a couple of movies are the ones who get my juices bubbling, pardon me for my impertinences Agha . I don't care much for scrawny shriveled women like the ones in this village. See what I mean?
Mullah. Son, all these questions are irrelevant. Why do you think it is called paradise? It is just that, paradise. It means that you get your heart’s desire, since you have earned admission in it.
Me. Thank you, thank you, Your Person. I knew that you would answer my questions satisfactorily. Now, the older of my sisters is 24 and not married. There is no suitor in sight and chances are that she will go to her grave virgin. She was seriously thinking about volunteering for the Martyr Brigade and going with me to Tehran. We talked about it and I told her about the 72 virgins that I will be getting. That was a mistake, I believe. She asked what she would get for her sacrifice. I had to wrack my brains to come up with an answer. I didn't think that she would get 72 men. Because, Allah forbid and I do beg your forgiveness for what I am about to say next. If a woman serves 72 men that would be like a brothel, right, Your Person? That just doesn't seem right and it is not very practical for one woman satisfying the lust of 72 men. I told her that she would probably be one of the 72 virgins that another man would get, since given the shortage of men in this village and our poverty she is likely to go to the grave virgin anyway. She became furious and almost slapped me on the face.
Mullah. Yes. That’s women for you. They are so feeble and emotional. And at the slightest thing they get provoked and become completely irrational— best not to engage them in any serious discourse. They are childlike, even when they are old. It is for this reason that Allah has ordained in the Quran that men are rulers over women. Women are not equal of men. Women need wise and strong rulers to keep them in line. Otherwise the whole world would be ruined. Besides, what if women don't like what they get? The scripture say that women’s testimony in the court of law is worth half of that of a man’s, no prophet of Allah has been a woman, no Imams has been a woman, no Ayatollah, not even a mullah has ever been a woman. They just have to know their rank and their place and be grateful to men who care for them, support them and feed them.
It gets even better. Read the whole thing and pass it on to any Muslims you know. Heh.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
