http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8P0C2D80&show_article=1 Hamas 'Mickey Mouse' Wants Islam Takeover May 8 02:26 PM US/Eastern By DIAA HADID Associated Press Writer GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Hamas militants have enlisted the iconic Mickey Mouse to broadcast their message of Islamic dominion and armed resistance to their most impressionable audience—little kids. A giant black-and-white rodent—named "Farfour," or "butterfly," but unmistakably a Mickey ripoff—does his high-pitched preaching against the U.S. and Israel on a children's show run each Friday on Al-Aqsa TV, a station run by Hamas. The militant group, sworn to Israel's destruction, shares power in the Palestinian government. "You and I are laying the foundation for a world led by Islamists," Farfour squeaked on a recent episode of the show, which is titled, "Tomorrow's Pioneers." "We will return the Islamic community to its former greatness, and liberate Jerusalem, God willing, liberate Iraq, God willing, and liberate all the countries of the Muslims invaded by the murderers." Children call in to the show, many singing Hamas anthems about fighting Israel. Israel has long complained that the Palestinian airwaves are filled with incitement. An Israeli organization that monitors Palestinian media, Palestinian Media Watch, said the Mickey Mouse lookalike takes "every opportunity to indoctrinate young viewers with teachings of Islamic supremacy, hatred of Israel and the U.S., and support of 'resistance,' the Palestinian euphemism for terror." The television station would not comment. A spokeswoman from Walt Disney Co.'s headquarters in Burbank, Calif., did not immediately return messages asking for comment about the use of a Disney-like character. Yehia Moussa, a Hamas leader in the movement's Gaza Strip base, denied inciting children against Jews. "Our problem is not with the Jews. Our problem is with the (Israeli) occupation and the occupiers," Moussa said. Israeli officials denounced the program. David Baker, an official in Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office, said, "There is nothing comic about inciting young generations of Palestinians to hate Israelis." Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev called the program "outrageous" and charged that the Palestinians have not carried out their commitments to stop incitement of hatred toward Israel. "Children are taught that killing Jews is a good thing," he said. "Children are taught to hate Jews and to hate nonbelievers." In strife-ridden Gaza, however, dreams of Islamic dominion and animosity toward the U.S. and Israel are widespread. A Gaza-based psychologist said the program proved that the culture of glorifying violence had penetrated Palestinian society. "It's the fault of both (Israel and the Palestinians)," said Samir Zakkout, from the Gaza Community Mental Health Program. "If Palestinians had peace, children wouldn't learn violence." Children have been traumatized by bloodshed in the course of Israeli attacks and Palestinian infighting, he said. "There's been a collapse of values," he said. "If I can kill my enemy, I can kill my brother." Basem Abu Sumaya, head of the Palestinian Broadcasting Corp., said such programming was inappropriate. "I don't think it's professional or even humane to use children in such harsh political programs," Abu Sumaya said. "Children's nationalist spirit must be developed differently." The Palestinian Broadcasting Corp. is controlled by Hamas' political rival, the Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.. Hamas loyalists launched the Al Aqsa satellite channel last year. Bearded young men read the news, often offering live news broadcasts. Islamic music is layered over footage of masked militants firing rockets into Israel. But the channel also broadcasts talk shows, programs about the disabled and cartoons. Hamas loyalists also run at least five news Web sites, one newspaper—launched just last week—and a radio station.
When I read that part I couldn't help thinking of this video. (NSFW for terrorism and battlefield footage) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIGDXUh3U9w We condemn groups like Hamas for celebrating their ski mask clad Kalishnikov wielding fighters with rousing music yet it is perfectly acceptable to sing songs about ski mask clad and Kalishnikov wielding IRA fighters. Is it because the songs are catchier and we can understand most of the words of IRA rebel tunes vs. Hamas? It makes me wonder why are Irish militants blowing up British in our eyes more acceptable than Palestinian militants blowing up Israelis.. This is something that is somewhat personal to me since my band plays rebel tunes, we also mock them too in song called "Its Hard to Write A Rebel Tune" about the Good Friday peace treaty, and wonder if we are encouraging violence. While given the current situation in Northern Ireland these songs are starting to lose their relevance but they were written at a time of bloody conflict between the IRA and the British when the IRA were labelled as terrorists. Its for that reason why I know a few local Irish musicians that won't play Rebel tunes.
Is it wrong that I was LMAO when I first came across this story? What's the over/under on 'Mickey' getting deported from Gaza to Gitmo, where he will be held incommunicado for the foreseeable future?
Actually the Ottomans were more symbolic for the beginning of the decline, not the 'peak'. Not to dismiss them or anything...oh screw it, now I shall suffer the wrath of the great Ottomaton.
Ironically, the high point for the Islamic world was also the beginning of the end. All of the old treatises by Aristotle, and Plato and the other ancient Greeks were thought lost to the world by Europeans until the fall of Constantinople and the introduction is Islamic cultures into Europe. Once these books flowed back into Europe due to contact with the Arab world, Europe exploded into a new age of growth started by the Renaissance. But in more general terms, this dream of a return to days gone by strikes me as fundamentally counterproductive. It would be like Italians agitating for the return of the Roman Empire, or the Austrians demanding a return to the Holy Roman Empire and Hapsburg supremacy in Europe. Look for ways to move forward, instead of trying to recreate the world of 1000 years ago. It is essentially the same sort of extreme Revanchist ideology that lead Hitler to try and create a Teutonic Greater German Empire in the image of Richard Wagner operas.
The Italians tried that with Mussolini. That is easier said than done and every great civilization has periods of nostagia for the great old days. In fact most of Chinese civilization has been looking back to previous dynasties. Also being an American at around the epicenter of our civilization its easy for us to say other cultures should move on while we enjoy our moment in the sun. I can easily imagine a situation a 100 years from now when China or some other country has eclipsed American greatness and we find ouselves in the position of the Russia as a second rate power longing for the days of the second half of the 20th C..
when did we not condemn the IRA? and how long has it been since the IRA has been relevant? i've never been to a place where it's been acceptable to sing Irish songs about killing people. i know there's still a good deal of that sectarian b.s. at soccer games throughout the UK. but the Irish have been stereotyped as war hungry for years. as always looking for a fight. they seem to be moving past that in N. Ireland...today was a HUGE step in that direction.
The last remnants of old-school barbarism. Something revoltingly ironic when you think about it: It took fundamentalist religion to create the new barbarians, although original barbarism was "pagan".
I'm not saying that it isn't normal. I'm just saying that it isn't productive. If that day comes and we try and resurrect a lost America we will be doing little more than engaging in an exercise in fantasy. And actually Mussolini was not to big on the Roman Empire imagery, and his policies very much were about creating a new type of Italian state. His big expansion push started in Ethiopia, which I don't think was ever part of the Roman Empire. He wasn't very successful at it, but he didn't try to drive the Ostrogoths and Visogoths out of Germanium back on the other side of the Rhine and force everybody to wear togas and visit the coliseum.
Considering that people in the US Congress were supporting the IRA during the 70's and the 80's along with major fundraising for them in the US there was little condemnation and any condemnation for the IRA was drowned out by support for them. In fact most of the IRA's financial support came from the US. As for being acceptable to sing Irish songs about killing people have you been to Irish pubs recently? What do you think the song "Black and Tans" or "Billy Reid" are about? For that matter "Fields of Athenry" is considered a rebel tune and there are bands all over the US singing those. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BWNJReKqAU Here's a guy from a folk festival playing a rebel tune (ironically wearing a peace sign) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-RMMQwdFGI Whether the IRA are relevant or not is besides the point. My point was that while we condenm the resistance fighters of Hamas and songs and videos showing ski mask clad fighters with Kalishnikovs for years Americans celebrated the ski mask clad resistance fighters of the IRA. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHvZLArMvKE Thankfully that period is over but that doesn't change the fact that we have had a very subjective and hypocritical view of who is a terrorism as a society.
