Nearly 4000 Muslims Attack Christian Homes in Egypt, Torch Church

[AroundTheWorld]

(AINA) -- A mob of nearly four thousand Muslims has attacked Coptic homes this evening in the village of Soul, Atfif in Helwan Governorate, 30 kilometers from Cairo, and torched the Church of St. Mina and St. George. There are conflicting reports about the whereabouts of the Church pastor Father Yosha and three deacons who were at church; some say they died in the fire and some say they are being held captive by the Muslims inside the church.

Witnesses report the mob prevented the fire brigade from entering the village. The army, which has been stationed for the last two days in the village of Bromil, 7 kilometers from Soul, initially refused to go into Soul, according to the officer in charge. When the army finally sent three tanks to the village, Muslim elders sent them away, saying that everything was "in order now."

A curfew has been imposed on the 12,000 Christians in the village.

This incident was triggered by a relationship between 40-year-old Copt Ashraf Iskander and a Muslim woman. Yesterday a "reconciliation" meeting was arranged between the relevant Coptic and Muslim families and together with the Muslim elders it was decided that Ashraf Iskander would have to leave the village because Muslims torched his house.

The father of the Muslim woman was killed by his cousin because he did not kill his daughter to preserve the family's honor, which led the woman's brother to avenge the death of his father by killing the cousin. The village Muslims blamed the Christians.

The Muslim mob attacked the church, exploding 5-6 gas cylinders inside the church, pulled down the cross and the domes and burnt everything inside. Activist Ramy Kamel of Katibatibia Coptic advocacy called US-based Coptic Hope Sat TV and sent an SOS on behalf of the Copts in Soul village, as they are presently being attacked by the mob. He also said that no one is able to contact the priest and the deacons inside the burning church and there is no answer from their mobile phones.

Coptic activist Wagih Yacoub reported the mob has broken into Coptic homes and has called on Copts to leave the village. "Terrorized Copts have fled and some hid in homes of Muslim neighbors," he added.

Witnesses said the mob chanted "Allahu Akbar" and vowed to conduct their morning prayers on the church plot after razing it.

http://www.aina.org/news/20110304222016.htm

-----------------------------

According to Mathloom and geeimsobored, we have to read these news with a grain of salt. The people who screamed Allahu Akbar might be Hindus or Christians. :rolleyes:

[bigtexxx]

disgusting, again.

at what point do you have to ask the tough questions, folks.....

It will be hard to blame this one on "foreigners" like the Church bombing in Alexandria

[Landlord Landry]

http://www.sevennationarmy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/u1pyt9ltmjprbf6mf6bmhkyyo1_500.jpg

[RocketRaccoon]

The less I hear from the moderate muslims the more distance I place myself from Islam.

[trustme]

Yes, Muslims did this. They did something that goes against Islam. They should definitely be held accountable for their actions. All 4,000 of them.

[Rockets Pride]

RELIGION OF PEACE STRIKES AGAIN!

[bigtexxx]

Yes, Muslims did this. They did something that goes against Islam. They should definitely be held accountable for their actions. All 4,000 of them.

so in other words, "its not my problem"

moderate Muslim apathy is part of the problem, actually

[Rockets Pride]

trust him

[Carl Herrera]

so in other words, "its not my problem"

moderate Muslim apathy is part of the problem, actually

What do you propose he does? Personally go over there and arrest them? What are you personally doing about it? These actions are disgusting and should be condemned. Egypt's current authorities (the Army) needs to take steps to address and control sectarian violence by Muslims against the minority Copts and the protection of minority rights must be included in the new democratic government that they are working on.

[AroundTheWorld]

Yes, Muslims did this. They did something that goes against Islam. They should definitely be held accountable for their actions. All 4,000 of them.

Do you agree with Mathloom's line of reasoning in the Kosovan Muslim thread that religion should not even be "brought into the picture" when looking at the crime? I would think that it would be pretty hard even for Mathloom to argue that here...

[Al Calavicci]

Why do you post stuff like this all the time? To "inform" people? So what?

It's pretty obvious you think Islam is an inherently violent religion and radical extremists are only following what you think the Koran says. So let's assume that's true. What exactly do you think should be done about it? If the religion itself is the problem, not a select few fringe crazies out of a billion, what do you do about the billion? Aren't they just some ticking timebomb of evil Islam?

What do you want people to do? Ask all the Muslims in the world to give up their religion nicely? Holy War? Genocide? What do you think the solution is here?

[AroundTheWorld]

Why do you post stuff like this all the time?

Because stuff like this happens all the time.

So what?

Just because you tacitly agree or don't care (how else should one interpret a "so what?" statement in this context?) doesn't mean everyone else has to.

It's pretty obvious you think Islam is an inherently violent religion and radical extremists are only following what you think the Koran says. So let's assume that's true. What exactly do you think should be done about it? If the religion itself is the problem, not a select few fringe crazies out of a billion, what do you do about the billion? Aren't they just some ticking timebomb of evil Islam?

What do you want people to do? Ask all the Muslims in the world to give up their religion nicely? Holy War? Genocide? What do you think the solution is here?

Why don't you answer some of those questions you are asking?

[Al Calavicci]

Because stuff like this happens all the time.



Just because you tacitly agree or don't care (how else should one interpret a "so what?" statement in this context?) doesn't mean everyone else has to.



Why don't you answer some of those questions you are asking?

I don't have a problem with Muslims in general and consider the actions of extremists to be on the fringe and not representative of the Islamic population at large.

Now, you.

[NMS is the Best]

Islam doesn't allow the attacking of Christians and the burning of Churches. If you trying to tie these actions to Islam, this thread is a complete fail.

[Al Calavicci]

Because stuff like this happens all the time.



Just because you tacitly agree or don't care (how else should one interpret a "so what?" statement in this context?) doesn't mean everyone else has to.



Why don't you answer some of those questions you are asking?

P.S. I would also like to congratulate you on your very basso-esque ability to not answer a DIRECT QUESTION posed to you.

[AroundTheWorld]

Islam doesn't allow the attacking of Christians and the burning of Churches. If you trying to tie these actions to Islam, this thread is a complete fail.

Do you not realize that not I am tying these actions to Islam? The people who do these actions are doing them because of their religion (or what they believe is justified by their religion). Religion is the motive here, how can you say that I am tying this to Islam?

[AroundTheWorld]

I don't have a problem with Muslims in general and consider the actions of extremists to be on the fringe and not representative of the Islamic population at large.

Then explain why the Islamic fringe is so much more violent than any other fringe, and why in so many countries where Islam is the dominant religion intolerance toward other religions is so much more pronounced than if the opposite is the case.

[T-mac&Yao=RING]

This is why some people think Muslims are bad people. The sad thing is there are a lot of nice Muslims but they get over looked because of the things the bad Muslims does.

[Al Calavicci]

Then explain why the Islamic fringe is so much more violent than any other fringe, and why in so many countries where Islam is the dominant religion intolerance toward other religions is so much more pronounced than if the opposite is the case.

I don't have to explain anything to you. I don't start 20 threads a week on the subject. I didn't start this thread. I'm not trying to defend a position. I simply asked you a question relevant to the topic of this thread, which you cowardly ignored by answering a question with a question. And even after I answered that question, you again ignored it.

I'm starting to think your "solution" to this "Islam problem" is to post anti-Muslim threads on the internet all day. Serious solutions for a serious problem, I see.

[sammy]

so in other words, "its not my problem"

moderate Muslim apathy is part of the problem, actually
quite frankly, it's not my problem or the majority of Muslim people, who are sane people. we know what Islam allows and does not. if you need to educate yourself, google it. yes you can pick out things like stoning non-believers but the Bible has similar text.

you think your time is more valuable than mine? excuse me for not giving a crap about what other lunatics are doing. these cowards (idiot "Muslims") can't be helped.

[SWTsig]

Do you not realize that not I am tying these actions to Islam? The people who do these actions are doing them because of their religion (or what they believe is justified by their religion). Religion is the motive here, how can you say that I am tying this to Islam?

so is your problem with religion or just islam? b/c it seems like at the core of this you just hate muslims, but in reality the concept of organized religion is the real problem.

[s land balla]

The less I hear from the moderate muslims the more distance I place myself from Islam.

What exactly is there for me to say?

It's sad that this happened. I, however, had no control over the events that took place.

I agree that acts such as these are horrific and should never happen. What else do you want me to do? :confused:

[AroundTheWorld]

so is your problem with religion or just islam? b/c it seems like at the core of this you just hate muslims, but in reality the concept of organized religion is the real problem.

It's not necessarily the problem as long as the religion teaches tolerance and peace, and as long as all of its followers are peaceful and tolerant. Unfortunately, the latter is not the case with Islam, and the evidence is mounting that neither is the former. That said, you are right that history has shown that most other organized religions are susceptible to that danger as well.

[Al Calavicci]

It's not necessarily the problem as long as the religion teaches tolerance and peace, and as long as all of its followers are peaceful and tolerant.

So again, what do you think should be done about it?

You going to ignore that question forever?

[AroundTheWorld]

So again, what do you think should be done about it?

You going to ignore that question forever?

The first step is to analyze the root causes.

To do that, first you have to recognize that there is a problem.

As you have already stated, you would prefer that one does not talk about these incidents. People like Mathloom and NMS claim they have nothing to do with Islam. All three of you are basically ignorant and would prefer that everyone else should be, too.

[moestavern19]

So again, what do you think should be done about it?

You going to ignore that question forever?


Who are you trying to impress, internet white knight?

Bet I could take a guess.

[s land balla]

The first step is to analyze the root causes.

To do that, first you have to recognize that there is a problem.

As you have already stated, you would prefer that one does not talk about these incidents. People like Mathloom and NMS claim they have nothing to do with Islam. All three of you are basically ignorant and would prefer that everyone else should be, too.

Upon analyzing the root causes, I recognize there is a problem, and that the various interpretations of Islam do play a role in the problem.

What is step two?

[Azadre]

AINA is not exactly a bastion of truth, nor is it an unbiased reporter of islam. On a scale of 1-5 for credibility, I put this story at a 1.

[Al Calavicci]

The first step is to analyze the root causes.

To do that, first you have to recognize that there is a problem.

As you have already stated, you would prefer that one does not talk about these incidents. People like Mathloom and NMS claim they have nothing to do with Islam. All three of you are basically ignorant and would prefer that everyone else should be, too.

Why do you tiptoe around and say stuff like "root causes"? It's disingenuous. You've said a thousand times you think Islam is the cause of this. And I've already tried play along with you and "recognize there is a problem" and ask what you think the next step would be. I literally cannot believe I have had to pose the same question to a competent adult five times now. I don't care about what other posters say, I wasn't asking them. I was asking you what you think should be done.

The more you ignore the question the more I think you're just the kinda person who bitches about things 24/7 but is simply incapable of coming up with solutions. Either that or you have a very "German" solution to the billion Muslims in the world and you're just too embarrassed to admit it. (Don't worry, I think your allies in this argument are on the same page)

[AroundTheWorld]

AINA is not exactly a bastion of truth, nor is it an unbiased reporter of islam. On a scale of 1-5 for credibility, I put this story at a 1.

I randomly picked one of the many sources that were reporting this on Google news.

[ROXRAN]

Great post/topic as usual ATW, this is an important topic to be informed of. . .
The last thing we all want is a caliphate growing...but . . .something to keep an eye on and be aware of...Hopefully the new government won't stoke the flames for the sake of peace.

[trustme]

so in other words, "its not my problem"

moderate Muslim apathy is part of the problem, actually

How did you get 'it's not my problem' from my post?

[trustme]

Do you agree with Mathloom's line of reasoning in the Kosovan Muslim thread that religion should not even be "brought into the picture" when looking at the crime? I would think that it would be pretty hard even for Mathloom to argue that here...

Religion should definitely be brought into the picture when looking at these kinds of crimes. It's very important to point out that religion does not promote such kinds of activities.

[trustme]

It's not necessarily the problem as long as the religion teaches tolerance and peace, and as long as all of its followers are peaceful and tolerant. Unfortunately, the latter is not the case with Islam, and the evidence is mounting that neither is the former. That said, you are right that history has shown that most other organized religions are susceptible to that danger as well.

How do you suggest we force the followers of a religion to be peaceful and tolerant like the religion teaches them to be?

[ChrisBosh]

I tried to google this story, for some reason no credible news outlet is reporting it. Though it is littered in www.iwillpostanythingnegativeonmuslims.com websites.

[giddyup]

I don't have a problem with Muslims in general and consider the actions of extremists to be on the fringe and not representative of the Islamic population at large.

Now, you.
I think this needs to be answered: how did a "mob" of "fringe extremists" get to number 4,000? That's more like an army than a mob. I wonder how big that village is?

[Carl Herrera]

I think this needs to be answered: how did a "mob" of "fringe extremists" get to number 4,000? That's more like an army than a mob. I wonder how big that village is?

My guess is it has something to do with the long history of sectarian conflicts, colonial resentment, compounded with more recent anti-Western (and thus, anti-Christian) feelings stoked by things like Israel/Palestine conflict and U.S. torture of Arabs/Muslims and support of repressive regimes. None of it justifies what happened, but this sounds like the kind of tribal-type conflicts not unlike race riots in the U.S. or the kind of atrocities committed during the 1990s conflicts in the Balkans.

[AroundTheWorld]

Upon analyzing the root causes, I recognize there is a problem, and that the various interpretations of Islam do play a role in the problem.

What is step two?

I wish I had an easy answer to the question. In very generic terms, I would say that education is the key. But how do you educate people who have been brainwashed from early childhood on? And how do you educate people when trying to do so puts your life in grave danger (as is the case in Pakistan)?

I think that the answer depends on where you are tackling the problem. It will take different steps e.g. in Pakistan than in Turkey.

My honest answer - and I am aware that it is offensive to some - is that I think Islamization needs to be stopped in places where it is progressing (like in Turkey, and in the rest of Europe), because the more power Islam gets, the more likely it is that the Islamists at the fringe get more power, too, and that they eventually get into power - and the end result might be the Pakistan of today, or the Saudi-Arabia of today. It is better to have open discussions and arguments with those who are trying to advance Islam NOW when I can still do it without putting my life in danger. Seeing how much anger and intolerance I encounter when trying to discuss these things, I am not surprised that the logical continuation of this aggressive attitude I encounter here is what dissenters are encountering in Pakistan today.

In Pakistan, I am not sure what anyone can do, it just seems that the place is in such deep ***** already.

From what I have learned here on the forum by various posters, including Mathloom and sammy, etc., it seems like Wahhabism is a big problem, as it seems to poison Islam as a whole. How would that problem best be tackled? I think Muslims would probably be in a better position than I am to answer this question. In an ideal world, the leaders of all other Islamic sects in the world would get together and would condemn Wahhabism and its destructive ideas, and would work jointly on a true reformation of Islam. Unfortunately, that is probably unrealistic.

So to get back to your question - what could step two be? I think there are different goals one could look at here. One goal would be to prevent the type of intolerance and hatred that Islamists represent from manifesting itself in the free (Western) world. That would mean that the Western world should stop making concessions to unreasonable and aggressive demands by fundamentalist Muslims who have chosen to live in the Western world, for one. Displays of intolerance and oppression like the Burkha should be outlawed in the Western world. The Western world should also be wary of continued immigration of people who follow a fundamentalist brand of any religion. How exactly this could be done, I am not sure. The Western world should try to engage in a dialogue with leaders of the Islamic world who do not subscribe to the fundamentalist brand of Islam, to jointly find ways to reduce the influence of intolerant fundamentalists.

Now, when looking at the Muslim world right now, what can be done? I really don't know, my hope is that as internet penetration goes up, young people will educate themselves more and will eventually realize that the fundamentalist brainwashing they have received is wrong, and will stop following hate preachers. In places like Turkey or Malaysia, I hope that the secular influence will push back fundamentalist movements, but it seems to be going the other way right now. When looking at Pakistan and Afghanistan right now, I really have no idea...it almost seems like a hopeless situation. Maybe you have better ideas than me. They somehow have to figure it out themselves. Trying to force liberty and secularity on them with military means does not seem feasible.

[Mathloom]

That's very odd, especially following the love fest that took place during the uprising.

In any case it's very sad. Hopefully a new government comes into place that treats people with the dignity and respect they deserve, and weeds out the crazy extremists.

[AroundTheWorld]

It's pretty obvious you think Islam is an inherently violent religion and radical extremists are only following what you think the Koran says.

That is what they think - that they are following the Koran.


So let's assume that's true. What exactly do you think should be done about it? If the religion itself is the problem, not a select few fringe crazies out of a billion, what do you do about the billion? Aren't they just some ticking timebomb of evil Islam?

I don't think all those people are a time bomb. But I think that the larger the overall group, the larger the number of potential recruits for the hate preachers. I think that somehow, Wahhabism needs to be pushed back. I think that reform must come from within Islam, which however seems difficult as the different Islamic sects are already divided as is, so whoever would try to rise out of the mess and try to reform and unite Islam would probably not be respected by the members of a different sect, and would probably be killed quickly, which goes to show that tolerance is not exactly the first thing that comes to mind when people talk of Islam. To try and answer your question, what should be done: I think all one can do is try to raise awareness that Islam has been taken over to some extent by people who promote intolerance and violence, and that for one, the Western world needs to acknowledge that and protect itself from it, and secondly, hopefully, reasonable forces within Islam need to rise from the ashes and need to push back those who give their religion a bad name. As the second part is not within my power, I focus on the first part, but I hope that some reformation of Islam will come eventually.

What do you want people to do? Ask all the Muslims in the world to give up their religion nicely? Holy War? Genocide? What do you think the solution is here?

No holy war, no genocide, obviously. I think the solution is first acknowledging that there is a problem. People like Mathloom (to some extent - he is definitely an intelligent kid and there is some hope) and trustme, Hydhypedplaya, adeelsiddiqui, NMS is the best and some others (I think the last four are all relatives and might be representatives of Wahhabism/Salafism, the mosque adeelsiddiqui and Hydhypedplaya go to has been linked to terrorism, by the way) do their best to try to act like there is no problem. They are in denial, and some of them are really aggressive about it. Once people agree that there is a problem that can be traced back to the way the religion is taught in some circles, the next step would be for the people who believe in the religion to reform the religion. Until then, those who do not believe in the religion cannot do anything but shield themselves from the destructive and intolerant elements of that religion, while at the same time engaging in a dialogue with the reasonable elements of the religion.

I was on a phone earlier. I hope this somewhat answers your question.

Now I would like to hear your answer to your own questions. And saying that you personally do not have a problem with Islam is not really an answer, as it does not address the things that are happening around the world. Even Muslims themselves see that there are problems.

[trustme]

Blah blah blah I am a Muslim hater with a closed mind blah blah blah...think the solution is first acknowledging that there is a problem. People like Mathloom (to some extent - he is definitely an intelligent kid and there is some hope) and trustme, Hydhypedplaya, adeelsiddiqui, NMS is the best and some others (I think the last four are all relatives and might be representatives of Wahhabism/Salafism, the mosque adeelsiddiqui and Hydhypedplaya go to has been linked to terrorism, by the way)
blah blah blah I am the biggest racist ever blah blah blah.

Every mosque in the ISGH is supported by Hakeem Olajuwon, what are you trying to say about him? Choose your words wisely, oh racist one.

[AroundTheWorld]

I tried to google this story, for some reason no credible news outlet is reporting it. Though it is littered in www.iwillpostanythingnegativeonmuslims.com websites.

Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/05/AR2011030501128.html

Agence France Presse:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5haEU3JtZ6nzUc86-vNABliMMhUIw?docId=CNG.97f06e36a1a0cb62da2c4bda69870ba9.561

Bloomberg:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-04/ethiopian-evangelical-christian-churches-are-burnt-by-muslims-group-says.html

You should seriously work on your googling skills.

Edit: Sorry, the last one is actually about something that happened in ETHIOPIA. Unfortunately, islamo-fascist hate manifests itself in so many countries.

Ethiopian Evangelical Christian Churches Are Burnt by Muslims, Group Says

Churches and homes used by evangelical Christians in southwestern Ethiopia were burned down by Muslims over the past two days, according to International Christian Concern.

Federal police in the Horn of Africa nation intervened after three churches and two houses were torched following an alleged burning of the Koran in Asendabo, the Washington DC- based rights group said in a statement on its website. Two more churches were then burned, it said, citing local church leaders. Asendabo is about 280 kilometers (174 miles) southwest of Addis Ababa.

Ethiopian Communications Minister Bereket Simon said that only two houses used for worship were burned in the incident.

“No one has died,” he said by phone from Addis Ababa. “It’s a very minor, isolated incident.”

Calls to the Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council weren’t answered or didn’t connect when Bloomberg News sought comment today.

Ethiopian Kale Heywot Church, an Addis Ababa-based evangelical organization, said today it would make a statement once it had met with the government and carried out its own investigation.

Incidents of religious strife in Ethiopia are rare, although there have been sectarian clashes in the south-west in recent years. Ethiopia’s population includes 34 percent Muslims and 63 percent Christians, according to the CIA World Factbook.

[AroundTheWorld]

Every mosque in the ISGH is supported by Hakeem Olajuwon, what are you trying to say about him? Choose your words wisely, oh racist one.

I don't know, ask the Chronicle. I love Hakeem and want to believe (and do believe) that he had no bad intentions. As far as the people who represent the mosque goes, I don't know...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/topstory/3031726.html

Mosque set up by Olajuwon reportedly gave money to terror groups

WASHINGTON - A mosque established and funded by basketball star Hakeem Olajuwon gave more than $80,000 to charities the government later determined to be fronts for the terror groups al-Qaida and Hamas, according to financial records obtained by The Associated Press.
Olajuwon told the AP he had not known of any links to terrorism when the donations were made, prior to the government's crackdown on the groups, and would not have given the money if he had known.
"There is no way you can go back in time," Olajuwon said in a telephone interview from Jordan, where he is studying Arabic. "After the fact, now they have the list of organizations that are banned by the government."
A Treasury Department spokeswoman, Molly Millerwise, declined to discuss Olajuwon's contributions but said, "In many cases donors are being unwittingly misled by the charities."
Federal law enforcement officials said they were not investigating Olajuwon, a 7-foot center born in Nigeria who played 17 seasons for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association before retiring in 2002.
Olajuwon, who became a U.S. citizen in 1993, was known as "The Dream" and won the NBA's Most Valuable Player award in 1994, when he led the Rockets to the first of back-to-back championships.
The Olajuwon-founded Islamic Da'Wah Center gave more than $60,000 in 2000 and $20,000 in 2002 to the Islamic African Relief Agency, the center's tax records show.
The government shut down the relief agency in October, saying it gave money and other support to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida.
But the agency and its possible ties to terrorism had been in news stories years earlier, before Olajuwon's contributions:
--The U.S. Agency for International Development cut off two government grants to the Islamic African Relief Agency in 1999, saying funding the group "would not be in the national interest of the United States."
--A former fund-raiser for the relief agency, Ziyad Khaleel, was named in a federal trial in 2001 as the man who bought a satellite telephone that bin Laden used to plan the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
--Numerous news organizations reported shortly after the 2001 terrorist attacks that the relief agency was among more than two dozen Islamic charities under scrutiny for possible terrorist ties.
Olajuwon also participated in a 1999 celebrity bowling tournament for the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, which the U.S. government shut down in 2001, accusing it of sending money to Hamas. The Islamic Da'Wah Center gave more than $2,000 to the Texas-based Holy Land Foundation in 2000, according to its tax returns.
At the time, Olajuwon was vice president of the mosque -- which was named after him -- and provided more than three-quarters of its money. Olajuwon heads the separate foundation that now controls the Islamic Da'Wah Center.
All the donations came before the government designated the Holy Land Foundation and the Islamic African Relief Agency as terrorist fronts. Vipul Worah, an accountant for Olajuwon's charities, said U.S. authorities have never asked about the contributions.
Olajuwon, who is married with four daughters, became a Muslim during his professional career and was known for playing in key games while observing dawn-to-dusk fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Tax returns for Olajuwon's Islamic Da'Wah Center show it gave the Islamic African Relief Agency $61,250 in 2000 and $20,000 in 2002.
Those donations accounted for 2.2 percent of the $2.8 million the Islamic African Relief Agency received during 2000 and 1.4 percent of the $1.4 million it raised in 2002, records show.
Olajuwon said the donations came after fund-raisers from the Islamic African Relief Agency visited Houston. He said the group told him donations would help the needy in Africa.
"They came and approached us and everything was legitimate. I had no knowledge of their activity," Olajuwon said.
The Treasury Department alleged in October that several top officials of the group's branches overseas are al-Qaida members or associates and the group gave bin Laden hundreds of thousands of dollars in 1999.
The federal government says the Sudan-based Islamic African Relief Agency's U.S. branch is IARA-USA, based in Columbia, Mo. That group has challenged the terrorist designation in court, saying it is separate from the Sudanese group.
Shereef Akeel, a lawyer for IARA-USA, acknowledged the U.S. group and the Sudanese group "may be in a partnership together" and some people with links to IARA-USA have terrorist associations.
"Just because someone traveled in the same circles, just because one employee was at the same conference as someone who supported terrorism, doesn't mean the organization sponsors or condones acts of terrorism," Akeel said.
The Holy Land Foundation was shut down in December 2001. Federal authorities say it was the main U.S. fund-raiser for Hamas and sent $12.4 million to the Palestinian terrorist group from 1995 to 2001. Hamas has claimed responsibility for dozens of suicide bombings in Israel that have killed scores of people, including Americans.
The Holy Land Foundation and several leaders are awaiting trial on criminal charges of supporting terrorism -- charges they deny. U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler rejected the group's 2002 lawsuit challenging its terrorist designation, ruling federal officials had "ample evidence" of financial support for Hamas.
Attorney General John Ashcroft said in July that an indictment against several officers was "neither a reflection on the well-meaning people who may have donated funds to the foundation, nor is it a reflection on the Muslim faith and its adherents."
In 2000, the year after Olajuwon participated in the Dallas bowling tournament for the Holy Land Foundation, the Islamic Da'Wah Center gave the group $2,430, tax records show. That money was a tiny fraction of the $13 million the foundation raised that year.
Olajuwon said the bowling tournament was one of many charitable events he has attended.
"I get all sorts of requests from charitable organizations," Olajuwon said. "It was a bunch of kids and I gave them autographs."

[ChrisBosh]

Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/05/AR2011030501128.html

Agence France Presse:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5haEU3JtZ6nzUc86-vNABliMMhUIw?docId=CNG.97f06e36a1a0cb62da2c4bda69870ba9.561

Bloomberg:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-04/ethiopian-evangelical-christian-churches-are-burnt-by-muslims-group-says.html

You should seriously work on your googling skills.

Edit: Sorry, the last one is actually about something that happened in ETHIOPIA. Unfortunately, islamo-fascist hate manifests itself in so many countries.




Thanks for looking those up. BTW the story in these links paint a very different scenario than your initial article, funny how that happens when you use sources which are shady. It's a horrible story nevertheless.

[s land balla]

Thanks for looking those up. BTW the story in these links paint a very different scenario than your initial article, funny how that happens when you use sources which are shady. It's a horrible story nevertheless.

The stories posted in the links above are regarding the precursor event to the story posted in the OP.

[ChrisBosh]

The stories posted in the links above are regarding the precursor event to the story posted in the OP.



LOL, how do you figure this?

[AroundTheWorld]

Thanks for looking those up. BTW the story in these links paint a very different scenario than your initial article, funny how that happens when you use sources which are shady. It's a horrible story nevertheless.

What do you consider different? 2 dead, churches burned in all stories. The one in the OP has more detail, but I don't see any contradictions?

[ChrisBosh]

What do you consider different? 2 dead, churches burned in all stories. The one in the OP has more detail, but I don't see any contradictions?

The links above point out that nobody was hurt in the church, your OP link says otherwise. One seems to be using anecdotal evidence as sources, while the other from authority figures. The number 4000 itself seems like it was pulled out of someone's a$$.

[s land balla]

LOL, how do you figure this?

See below.

(AINA) -- A mob of nearly four thousand Muslims has attacked Coptic homes this evening in the village of Soul, Atfif in Helwan Governorate, 30 kilometers from Cairo, and torched the Church of St. Mina and St. George. There are conflicting reports about the whereabouts of the Church pastor Father Yosha and three deacons who were at church; some say they died in the fire and some say they are being held captive by the Muslims inside the church.

Witnesses report the mob prevented the fire brigade from entering the village. The army, which has been stationed for the last two days in the village of Bromil, 7 kilometers from Soul, initially refused to go into Soul, according to the officer in charge. When the army finally sent three tanks to the village, Muslim elders sent them away, saying that everything was "in order now."

A curfew has been imposed on the 12,000 Christians in the village.

This incident was triggered by a relationship between 40-year-old Copt Ashraf Iskander and a Muslim woman. Yesterday a "reconciliation" meeting was arranged between the relevant Coptic and Muslim families and together with the Muslim elders it was decided that Ashraf Iskander would have to leave the village because Muslims torched his house.

The father of the Muslim woman was killed by his cousin because he did not kill his daughter to preserve the family's honor, which led the woman's brother to avenge the death of his father by killing the cousin. The village Muslims blamed the Christians.

The Muslim mob attacked the church, exploding 5-6 gas cylinders inside the church, pulled down the cross and the domes and burnt everything inside. Activist Ramy Kamel of Katibatibia Coptic advocacy called US-based Coptic Hope Sat TV and sent an SOS on behalf of the Copts in Soul village, as they are presently being attacked by the mob. He also said that no one is able to contact the priest and the deacons inside the burning church and there is no answer from their mobile phones.

Coptic activist Wagih Yacoub reported the mob has broken into Coptic homes and has called on Copts to leave the village. "Terrorized Copts have fled and some hid in homes of Muslim neighbors," he added.

Witnesses said the mob chanted "Allahu Akbar" and vowed to conduct their morning prayers on the church plot after razing it.

http://www.aina.org/news/20110304222016.htm


CAIRO -- Egyptian security officials say Christian and Muslim families have clashed south of Cairo in a dispute over a romance between children from the two families. The fathers from both families have been killed and a crowd of Muslims has torched a church.

Mixed relationships are taboo in Egypt, where the Muslim majority and sizable Christian minority are both largely conservative. Such relationships are often the source of deadly clashes between the faiths. Christians also complain that they face discrimination.

Officials say a crowd of Muslims encircled the church in Soul on Saturday and set the building on fire after police and soldiers took those inside to safety.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

[ChrisBosh]

See below.



It was not a precursor, they just left out the details probably because they could not be verified. That's called good journalism.

[AroundTheWorld]

It was not a precursor, they just left out the details probably because they could not be verified. That's called good journalism.

I have never heard of that news agency, so I take Azadre's word for it that they are not great, but how do you know that the story is not correct? :confused:

Either way, even without the additional detail, the story speaks for itself.

[krnxsnoopy]

The father of the Muslim woman was killed by his cousin because he did not kill his daughter to preserve the family's honor, which led the woman's brother to avenge the death of his father by killing the cousin. The village Muslims blamed the Christians.


What backward ass logic!!!!

[trustme]

What backward ass logic!!!!

I know, right? I don't know how people justify these so called honor killings.

[AroundTheWorld]

I know, right? I don't know how people justify these so called honor killings.

One thing we agree on. It's crazier than crazy. Killing their own children/siblings to "restore honor", wtf :confused:.