Did I Say 'Starvation'? What I Meant to Say Was 'They Need a Vacation.' Yeah, That's The Ticket

Tom Gross has compiled some egregious yet amusing examples of anti-Israel media outlets caught doing an abrupt about face on the subject of "starvation" in Gaza (though not on the Israel-bashing, which goes on with no let up).

Chop Chop

Mincing no words, Andrew Klavan makes mincemeat of  "Islamophobia" :

For anyone born with the gift of laughter, the term is absurd to the point of hilarity. A phobia, after all, is an irrational fear. Given that Islam is cancerous with violence in virtually every corner of the globe, given the oppressive and exclusionary nature of many Islamic governments, given the insidious Islamist inroads against long-held freedoms in western Europe, and given those aspects of sharia that seem, to an outsider at least, to prohibit democracy, free speech, and the fair treatment of the female half of our species, those who love peace and liberty would, in fact, be irrational not to harbor at least a measure of concern.

That Klavan--such a mealy-mouthed fellow.

Favourite Headline of the Day

Overwhelmingly White Media Criticizes Conservative Rallies as 'Overwhelmingly White'

Guess they don't like the colour of their skin or the content of their character.

Suffering and Starvation in Mail-Deprived Gaza

Business is booming at the Gaza Mall, an establishment that has adopted the smiley face as its logo and whose aisles are bulging with consumer goods galore. (More than a few of the shop proprieters, so this al Arabiya report informs us, belong to Hamas).

Memo to Canucki Hamas-Postal boatniks: I'd advise you not to show this clip at your upcoming shipboard fundraiser.

As an aside, it strikes me that the Geneva Convention stipulation the bleeding heart Canuck posties have glommed onto for dear life, the one calling for mail delivery to people living under "occupation" on humanitarian grounds, is doubly irrelevent here. First, because Gaza is not under "occupation," the "occupiers" having ethnically self-cleansed themselves from the joint some years ago. Second, because this requirement was written long before there was e-mail, a technology which obviates the need for posties to D-liver D-letter.

More Lame Editorializing

The Globe and Mail acknowledges the fact that even seemingly assimilated, Canadian Idol-auditioning, homegrown hockey-players--chaps who don't fit the "stereotype" of a fire-breathing jihadi--are susceptible to jihad's siren call, and that that sure is distrubing. However, let's give our Muslims a round of applause for being so "open" and "easy-going" and not allow the jihad to change us in any significant way:

...The question for Canada is how to protect against a threat that cannot be stereotyped, or fought by profiling based on age, appearance or education. The answer is not to become less open. It is vital that those who would kill their fellow Canadians with improvised bombs, or support terrorism abroad, are not sheltered or ignored by anyone in the Muslim community who might become aware of the dangers they pose. An informant played a key role in exposing the Toronto 18 plot, involving planned bomb attacks in crowded areas. Canada has not been successfully attacked after 9/11. Good security intelligence depends in part on co-operation from the community. Openness and an easygoing spirit of tolerance are protective.

It is a nasty world in which one cannot trust a brother or sister, or a hockey-playing Canadian medical graduate who sings Avril Lavigne songs. In such a world, it may be hard to trust and accommodate one’s neighbour. But that trust is what makes Canada work, and a few accused terrorists should not be able to ruin it for everyone else.

Yes, that would be awful--were "a few accused terrorists" allowed to "ruin" our multiculti delusions. Of course, pretending all is well and allowing ourselves to get blown to Kingdom Come by "unlikely" (the Globe's word) jihadis who sing really bad karaoke would be exponentially worse, no?

"Foreign policy"? "Stereotyping"? Fuggedaboutit. It's Hate Fueled by Doctrines of Jihad, Babycakes

Margaret Wente opines re the "downtrodden" homegrown:

The most disturbing fact about the terrorism charge laid against Khurram Sher is not that he’s so different from the rest of us but that he’s so much like us. The guy could be your favourite son-in-law or your nicest neighbour – a smart, successful, considerate young doctor with three kids and a heart of gold. “Khurram wouldn’t hurt a fly,” insisted one long-time colleague.

Dr. Sher (who is, of course, innocent until proved guilty) is one of three men arrested last week and charged with conspiracy to facilitate an act of terrorism. He doesn’t fit our mental picture of a would-be terrorist. He’s not a disaffected kid who fell in with the wrong crowd. He’s not a hate-filled product of poverty and disadvantage. He’s not even a second-class citizen, such as France’s French-born Muslims who speak with perfect Parisian accents but will never break into the elites. Instead, Dr. Sher’s the product of Canada’s uniquely successful multicultural meritocracy – a homegrown, ball-hockey-playing, fun-loving fellow who zipped through one of the toughest med schools in the country and made fun of religious Muslims on Canadian Idol.

Oh, well, so much for stereotypes. The depressing truth is that radicalized Muslims in the West often work in medicine, engineering or computer science. According to terrorism expert Marc Sageman, they’re typically highly educated family men. They’re quite sane. And they may not even be particularly religious.

It’s nice to think that the roots of domestic radicalization must lie in discrimination, ignorance or social disadvantage. After all, that’s something we can try to fix. But how do we fix this? How do we dissuade fully integrated Canadians from rejecting the essence of what Canada is all about?

Some people have the answer. It’s our foreign policy, stupid! If only we stopped waging war in Afghanistan, kowtowing to the imperialist Americans and sucking up to Israel, then people wouldn’t get so riled up they’d want to blow up Parliament. “The solution is … to stop being in denial that there is no connection between the wars we wage and the terrorist mayhem that they trigger,” pronounced the Toronto Star’s Haroon Siddiqui (among others). In other words, it, too, is our fault...

I know. Maybe Muslim leaders can issue statements to try to soothe the frayed nerves of kafirs weary of seeminlgy endless jihadi terrrorist plots defuse (pun intended) the situation. Yeah, that should do it.

That Don't Impress Me Much

The National Post is tres impressed--overly impressed, really--that Canadian Muslim leaders have condemned "terrorism":

Following the arrests last week of terror suspects in Ottawa and London, Ont., the Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC) issued a full-throated denunciation of terrorism as a means to an end. The organization reiterated its "condemnation of all acts of violence, terrorism and extremism, here and abroad." The CIC also praised the "fast action" of our "security forces in safeguarding our country and its citizens." And CIC chair and president Wahida Valiante added: "Canadian Muslims are loyal citizens of Canada; they are law-abiding citizens ... well aware of their responsibility to uphold the laws of Canada and to act in ways that safeguard the security and well-being of all." They "would never think of ... plotting to harm their homeland and their fellow citizens."

This is especially notable given that the CIC once was led by Mohamed Elmasry, a man who (briefly) defended the right of Palestinian terrorists to attack any Israeli adult -- and who declared that "Right-wing Canadian politicians and their parties consider the 'war against terror' to mean the same as 'war against Muslims.' " In recent years, the CIC had changed its tone, sensibly recognizing that operating as a counter-counter-terrorism lobby isn't going to win Canadian Muslims many friends.

Yesterday, the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada said it "strongly condemns the recently discovered terrorist plot in Canada." Two weeks prior to the arrests, to mark the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the Canadian Council of Imams (CCI) issued a seven-point declaration of values that strongly condemned violence. It said: "The best Muslim is the one who is good to his/her family and neighbours and one who avoids harming others with his/her hand or tongue. Islam does not permit the killing of innocent people, regardless of their creed, ethnicity, race, or nationality. The sanctity of human life overrides the sanctity of religious laws. Islamic rulings do not -- and should not -- contradict natural laws."

According to the imams, this is the first time any national Islamic council has so forcefully and succinctly stated its opposition to killing in the name of Allah. Signed by nearly 50 prominent imams, the declaration was read out at hundreds of mosques across the country on the first Friday Sabbath of Ramadan.

Boy, you dangle something bright and shiny in front of some kafirs, and they're instantly transfixed. Me--not so much. Let's look at the above-named Muslim leaders one by one, shall we?

1. Sweet Wahida and the CIC's fairly tepid response is fisked here.

2. Elmo may no longer be CIC Grand Poobah, but the splenetic Jew-hater yet vents from his bully pulpit at his rampaging horsey.

3. Our old "pal" Syed Soharwardy of the adorably-named Islamic SUPREME Council of Canada is well-versed at doling out honeyed words to receptive kafirs, and more than a few have been taken in by him--and them. An even cursory glance at the ISCC's website, though, should be enough to show where the imam (he's the guy who tried to silence--as if!--Ezra Levant for daring to publish those "blasphemous" Motoons) is coming from (i.e. from a position of supremacy, albeit the kind that doesn't go in for violent jihad but is content to let sharia seep into the kafir's body politic through "friendlier" means).

4. Along with the above-mentioned quote, the Canadian Council of Imans statement also says that

Islam is a religion of nature and humanity, one that teaches that a person cannot be a good Muslim until he/she becomes a good human being. All human beings are equal...

Which, as we know, is total bollocks since Islam actually teaches the reverse--that one cannot be a good human being until one is Muslim (and, in fact, one is a sinner, a really bad one, who will roast in eternal hellfire, until/unless one "reverts" to the one true faith while one is still able to). It also teaches that Muslims are superior to non-Muslims, and that Muslim men are superior to Muslim women, inequities enshrined in the sharia, Islam's "universal" law.

And here are some words that never fail to charm:

We believe in peaceful coexistence, dialogue, bridge building and cooperation among all faiths and people for the common good of humanity.

Falafels and samosas for everyone! The next part of the point is kind of a tough sell, though:

Islam does not permit the killing of innocent people, regardless of their creed, ethnicity, race or nationality. The sanctity of human life overrides the sanctity of religious laws. Islamic rulings do not – and should not – contradict natural laws. Islam is a religion that promotes peace, justice, equality, dignity and freedom for all human beings.

It's the word "innocent" that's the loophole. For example, none of these peaceful, terror-deploring imams would consider Israelis "innocent," since they have the temerity to claim sovereignty over Muslims--whom Allah has deemed their superiors--and over Allah's land. And according to Islamic doctrine, all parts of the world that have not yet been squared away for Allah are up for grabs, and those kafirs who "occupy" them for the moment are standing in the way of what should be, what must be. Islam promotes peace, justice and the rest--sure it does. But only on Islam's terms under Islam's law.

And, oh looky here, another "loophole":

We believe that it is the right of every individual adult person to determine for themselves their conduct towards and within their society (for example, in matters of dress or good manners), and their personal conduct in matters of faith and belief as well, as long as their conduct does not threaten the common good. Likewise, we believe that every society must be allowed to express and celebrate humanity’s profound cultural diversity, as long as the expression of that diversity does not include the compulsion of any individual to violate their own human rights, or their personal values, or their human nature, or otherwise threaten the common good of all people.

In other words, the "human rights" delineated by sharia supersede any kafir law (which, being man-made, don't hold a candle to Allah's law, and never will.)

Superficially at least, Canadian Muslim leaders seem to be saying all the right things and making all the right noises--and, hey, why should they do more, when even the National Post seems to be buying it? However, until such time as they explicitly and expressly repudiate "jihad is the way, sharia is the goal" and the supremacism written into their religious doctine, I'd advise everyone to read up on their Islam and take their statements with a heaping helping of sodium.

Update: Back in June Mark Steyn (who's been on hiatus far too long for my taste: we've needed his insights and bonhomie to help us endure one of the silliest summers ever) had this to say about kafirs who can't wrap their heads around the animus built into Islam and are only too willing to grant it the benefit of the doubt (and slam its critics--like Ayaan Hirsi Ali):

In Terror and Liberalism, Paul Berman wrote that suicide bombings “produced a philosophical crisis, among everyone around the world who wanted to believe that a rational logic governs the world.” In other words, it has to be about “poverty” or “social justice” because the alternative—that they want to kill us merely because we are the other—undermines the hyper-rationalist’s entire world view. Thus, every pro-gay, pro-feminist, pro-black Western liberal’s determination to blame Ayaan Hirsi Ali for the fact that a large number of benighted thuggish halfwits want to kill her. Deploring what he regards as her simplistic view of Islam, Nicholas Kristof rhapsodizes about its many fine qualities—“There is also the warm hospitality toward guests, including Christians and Jews.”

Oh, for crying out loud. In the Muslim world, Christians and Jews have been on the receiving end of a remorseless ethno-religious cleansing for decades. Christian churches get burned, along with their congregations, from Nigeria to Pakistan. Egypt is considering stripping men who marry Jewesses of their citizenship. Saudi Arabia won’t let ’em in the country. In the 1920s, Baghdad was 40 per cent Jewish. Gee, I wonder where they all went. Maybe that non-stop “warm hospitality” wears you down after a while . . .

Sure, it's all falafels and samosas until sharia comes fully into effect. Then it's "down on your knees and cough up our 'tribute' money, dhimmi."

Lax Airport Security Leads to a Bad Case of Indigestion

No bomb found tucked away in underpants this time, thank God, although one of the two chaps taken off a United flight from Chicago to Amsterdam and arrested for terrorism did make interesting use of a popular over-the-counter dyspepsia remedy. But the real story here once again--the gross inadequacies/deficiencies of American airport security.  From ABC News via The Corner:

The two were allowed to board the flight at O’Hare airport last night despite security concerns surrounding one of them, the officials said.

The men were identified as Ahmed Mohamed Nasser al Soofi, of Detroit, MI, and Hezem al Murisi, the officials said. A neighbor of al Soofi told ABC News he is from Yemen.

Airport security screeners in Birmingham, Alabama first stopped al Soofi and referred him to additional screening because of what officials said was his “bulky clothing.”

In addition, officials said, al Soofi was found to be carrying $7,000 in cash and a check of his luggage found a cell phone taped to a Pepto-Bismol bottle, three cell phones taped together, several watches taped together, a box cutter and three large knives. Officials said there was no indication of explosives and he and his luggage were cleared for the flight from Birmingham to Chicago O’Hare.

I guess they don't have those full body scanners that reveal every little nook and cranny up and running in Birmingham yet, eh? Understandable, perhaps, since it's not a major airport. Surely, though, the scanner are in use at O'Hare, one of the biggest and busiest airports in the world. Mind you, you don't need a scanner to tell you that "bulky clothing" in the heat of the summer should raise a red flag or two. All you need is some stones--the kind that would enable you to forget about political correctness and do you frikkin' job. Of course, in these fraught times, with a potential charge of "bigotry"'/"Islamophobia" e'er in the offing, it's often easier to wave everyone though, no questions asked.
 
I don't know about you, but after reading this report (including the news that Soofi the "bulky clothing" guy is from Yemen, current domicile of the American-Yemeni imam who inspired the Undies bomber and the Fort Hood shooter), I could use a few of his P-B tablets right about now. And maybe one of those airplane barf bags, too.

You Can't "Solve" the Problem Unless You "Solve" the Real Problem(s)

Employing those strong arm tactics that served him so well as a community organizaer back in Chicago, Barack Obama has bullied Israel into get back to "peace" talks with one faction of the Palestinian leadership. (The other faction--the one in Gaza--isn't inclined to engage in such charades, being adament that nothing short of Israel's destruction is acceptable and therefore worth talking about. Abbas, too, is working toward Israel's demise, but in a somewhat subtler, more calculating way.) Apart from that fact that there's no peace (in the infidel, not the Muslim, sense) to be had with either Abbas or Hamas, since the sticking point, as always, remains the "naqba" of Jewish sovereignty over lands claims in perpetuity for Allah, Obama's whole analysis of the situation is completely askew. It is predicated on the false, nay, the ludicrous, assumption that what happens between Israel and the Palestinians is the alpha and the omega of future events in the Middle East and, indeed, far beyond. For if the two sides are able to "compromise" and finally "solve" their problems, everything else will fall into place--or so the demonstrably unmoored-from-any-discernable-reality thinking goes.

Too stupid for words, right? And yet smart people with impressive letters after their names have staked their hopes, their reputations, indeed, their entire careers on this errant nonsense.

For a much needed tonic to the latest batch of purple-peace-in-our-time Kool Aid, I offer this, by Nick Cohen in Brit periodical Standpoint:

Jews get the blame in every great crisis, and it was inevitable that conspiracy theorists would blame them for the foreign policy crisis of the early 21st century.

What distinguishes our time, however, is that elements within western liberalism now adopt the position once associated with European reaction. I noticed that there was much grumbling in Standpoint's letters column after the editor pointed out that the supposedly leftist and supposedly serious London Review of Books had been promoting anti-Semitism rather than say the Spectator or Mail as one would have expected in the 1930s. However loudly readers complained, they could not deny that the LRB had been the first to offer its "enlightened" readers the conspiracy theory of John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt that the "Israel Lobby" had taken America into the second Iraq War. "For the past several decades, and especially since the Six-Day War in 1967, the centrepiece of US Middle Eastern policy has been its relationship with Israel," the authors intoned. "Pressure from Israel and the Lobby was not the only factor behind the decision to attack Iraq in March 2003, but it was critical."

I remember thinking at the time that "the Lobby" must be composed of remarkably stupid Jews. Why did they use their scheming wiles to con their goyish American dupes into invading Iraq, which was after all contained by sanctions in 2003, and represented only a minor threat to Israel, instead of Iran, whose Islamist rulers wanted to wipe Israel off the map?

Ever since I have followed a zero-tolerance for racism policy. Every time I encounter the Walt and Mearsheimer hypothesis at a "liberal" dinner party, and I encounter it all the time, I bang the table and batter its proponents remorselessly. Sometimes the hostess disapproves; more often she is grateful to have laid on a party her guests will never forget.(It's probably best to check beforehand if you want to follow suit.)

But the more I thought about it, the more I realised that it was their claim that Israel is at the centre of Western policy that was asinine. The centre of western policy in the Middle East is Saudi Arabia. Its vast oil wealth grants it privileged status...

Exactly. Solve the problem of Wahhabist Saudi Arabia, along with the problem of Khomeinist Iran, and we may be no nearer to utopia, but we'll certainly be a lot closer to a world that the likes of you and I can live in--and with.

Alas, easier said than done, my friends; easier said than done.

Obama Goes That Extra Mile To Choke Off Sources of Iran's Nuclear Funding

Just pulling your virtual leg there. Truth is the nuclear nutjobs Obama is taking pains to choke are, of course, the North Koreans.

Memo to Dear Freaky Leader: If you're looking for the same kid glove treatment the Ayatollah receives from Barack "How Dare You Mistake Me for a Muslim?" Obama, you might want to consider reciting the shahada.

Nine Years And Counting...

...and Afghan women still have to dress like this to go out in public and cast a vote. But, hey, that's "progress" because at least they get to vote, right?

Brrrr!

Better don the old touque and parka before dipping into Kathy Shaidle's chilling tales from Soviet Canuckistan.

Feh!

Afghanistan--the pedophilia capital of Asia.

Be Still My Heart!

John Bolton for president!

Imam Rauf and the Art of the Possible

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf (currently on very important "outreach" business on behalf of Foggy Bottom) would like you to think that the mosque controversy has been whipped up by Republicans as a means of capitalizing on looming elections. From the New York Post:

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- The imam spearheading a proposed Islamic center near the site of the Sept. 11 attacks in New York believes the fierce opposition is closely linked to the U.S. elections in November, according to comments published Monday.

"There is no doubt that the election season has had a major impact upon the nature of the discourse," Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf was quoted by the Abu Dhabi-based newspaper The National in an interview as part of his State Department-funded trip in the Gulf.

Rauf did not cite any particular political race possibly tied to the protests, but many political figures have aligned themselves with the opposition to the $100 million project that includes a mosque and Islamic cultural center...

Wrong, again, "one state 'solution'" dude. A mosque in the 9/11 neighbourhood would have been controversial even without elections (but aren't you clever to try to frame it as a Republican election ploy/conspiracy instead of what it is--a discussion about the (in)appropriateness of situating your honking big triumphalist edifice there).

'The Most Fiscally Irresponsible Government in U.S. History'

Those aren't my words. They're Mort Zuckerman's.

Michelle Obama's Bad Dieting Tips

I thought she was a lawyer, not a nutritionist. So why is she giving out dieting advice (I asked myself after reading this)?

In an interview in September’s Ladies’ Home Journal, first lady Michelle Obama mentions that she occasionally takes part in a cleanse. She meant, according to her press office, that she eats as much fruit and vegetables as possible and cuts out fats and oils, dairy, meat, caffeine, sugar and starch for a short period of time.

Doing so, she told the magazine, helps “clean out my palate.”

Such a cleanse isn’t something I considered for my “Me Minus 10” weight-loss project, but I wondered whether it could be beneficial to others.

Temporarily restricting one’s food can be a useful way to kick off a weight-loss diet or transition to better long-term eating habits, says Jim White, a Virginia Beach, Va.-based registered dietitian and spokesman for the American Dietetic Association. Obama’s mix of foods, though limited, should provide enough nutrients to maintain her metabolism and blood-sugar levels, at least in the short run, he says.

Keri Gans, also a registered dietitian and ADA spokeswoman, is not a fan, however. “It’s setting up that the only way to eat healthy is to restrict,” she says. “She should be learning to eat from all food groups correctly.”

And she shouldn't be sharing her dieting "wisdom" with the American public when she obviously doesn't know what she's talking about. (The idea that one can "cleanse out" the "palate"--whatever the heck that means--with such a regimen is evidence of her patent ignorance.)

Paging Dr. Drew

I think we found a candidate for your next Sex Rehab reality show.

Today in 'Boat' News

The Canuck posties' fast boat to Gaza (which is currently more fancy than reality) is still looking for a name:

We are in the process of naming the Canadian boat to Gaza and would like to hear from you! We are examining ways to draw a parallel to the struggles of the indigenous people of Canada and Palestinians (ie., Turtle Island, First Nations, etc.). Another direction we are brainstorming with is a political name that challenges the Harper government and its stance with Israel (similar to Audacity of Hope as used for the US boat to Gaza).

We thank you for your contributions and support!

Hey, no problemo, semi-crypto-Zion-loathers, but I thought after BCF's suggestion--Sea Hitler--the contest was pretty much a wrap.

Elsewhere, more Tamils are reportedly about to hop another slow boat to Canada, knowing that once they get here they're in like Flynn (who, FYI, was Tasmanian, not Tamil, and thus could never have claimed refugee status).

The captain of the Sea Hitler buckles his swashes.

Barack Odhimmi--a "Feeler" Not a Healer

President Barack Obama thinks Americans think he's Muslim because of his birth certificate (and not because of his curiosly oikophobic actions), and, of even greater concern, he does not--I repeat--does not have a clue (not that that's news in the strictest sense). This bizarre report comes from the Hindustan Times, of all places:

US President Barack Obama says he's not concerned about rumours about his birthplace or faith blaming an online campaign of misinformation by his conservative enemies for perpetuating the myth that he's a Muslim. There's "a network of misinformation that in a new media era can get churned out there.

"If I spend all my time chasing after that, then I wouldn't get much done," he said when asked why so many people were uncertain about something so fundamental as his faith. "I can't spend all my time with my birth certificate plastered on my forehead."

"The facts are the facts. We went through some of this during the campaign - there is a mechanism, a network of misinformation that in a new media era can get churned out there constantly," said a visibly annoyed Obama, referring to "birthers," who keep questioning either the existence or the validity of his Hawaiian birth certificate.

"I will always put my money on the American people, and I'm not going to be worried too much about what rumours are floating around there."

A stunning 18 per cent of Americans still identify Obama as Muslim, according to a Pew poll released earlier this month. Only a third identified Obama as Christian and 43 percent said they didn't know his faith.

Obama also doubled down on his support for a mosque and community centre planned for a site two blocks north of Ground Zero site of the Sep 11, 2001 terror attack in New York - and denied reports that he tried to back away from supporting the controversial project.

"I didn't walk it back it all," he said. "I was very specific with my team... The core value and principle that every American is treated the same doesn't change... At (a White House Ramadan celebration), I had Muslim Americans who had been in uniform fighting in Iraq... How can you say to them that their religious faith is less worthy of respect?... That's something that I feel very strongly about."

He added, "I respect the feelings on the other side."

How can you say to them that their religious faith is less worthy of respect? Here's how: "Thank you for wearing the uniform of the American military. Your religious affiliation--or lack thereof--while you wear it is a private matter and does not concern me. Unless, that is, you are more interested in waging jihad to further Allah's law--a la Fort Hood's Major Dr. Malik Nadal Hasan--than you are in pledging allegiance to the flag of the U.S. of A."

As for respecting "the feelings" on the other side--what a bizarre thing for a commander in chief in the midst of battle in a far-off Muslim land to say. Does he really think Muslims are going to be bowled over by his "respect" for their "feelings"? Or do such sentiments peg him as a lightweight, a squish, a pushover, and will they likely have the undesireable effect of making "the other side" feel more empowered?

It's not about your "birth certificate," Barry. It's the horrifying spectacle of seeing the leader of the free world demeaning--diminishing--himself and us by continually bending over backwards to accommodate the (heaven help us!) "feelings" of "the other side."

'Zaftig' Personified

Did you happen to catch Christina Hendrick's decolletage at last night's Emmy's? Yowza. You could land a Cessna on that thing.

If It's 'Project Samosa,' Where's the Falafel?

I found it over on Elmo's rampaging horsey site, where there's a sobering piece entitled "Harper's political interference, where to get falafel in Israel?" (not entirely sure what that means, but no matter).

Nothing so far on the Project Samosa arrests, but horsey has other kafirs to fry (so to speak).

Who's the Great Divider?

Remember how during the election campaign Obama was touted as someone who was "post-racial," the great healer who, being both black and white (and despite having his butt planted most Sundays for 20 years in one of racist Rev. Wright's pews), would be able to transcend colour, bridge the racial rift, and bring Americans of every hue together in one grand unicorns 'n' rainbows Kumbaya embrace? It hasn't exactly worked out that way (to vastly understate it). Instead, a good argument could be made that Obama has done more to set back the state of race relations in the U.S. than any president in living memory. Of course there are those--you know the type--who are liable to blame the divisiveness on others.

Rally Equivalence

The Ceeb refers to two events held in Washington yesterday as "dueling rallies." But from the visual evidence it wasn't much of a duel, since one event filled up the area in front of the Lincoln memorial, while the other attracted, at most, a scant 3,000.

The Elites' Favourite Whine--Insouciant, But Not Terribly Amusing

It's not that we, the great unwashed who object to the spectacle of a triumphalist mosque rising on the site of a great jihadi victory, are "Islamophobic". As James Taranto explains, it's that our common sense is, well, just too vin ordinaire for hyper-refined connoisseurs, who, in any event, are in the grip of a very real malady:

The Ground Zero mosque is an affront to the sensibilities of ordinary Americans. "The center's association with 9/11 is intentional and its location is no geographic coincidence," as the Associated Press has reported. That Americans would find this offensive is a matter of simple common sense. The liberal elites cannot comprehend common sense, and, incredibly, they think that's a virtue. After all, common sense is so common.

The British philosopher Roger Scruton has coined a term to describe this attitude: oikophobia. Xenophobia is fear of the alien; oikophobia is fear of the familiar: "the disposition, in any conflict, to side with 'them' against 'us', and the felt need to denigrate the customs, culture and institutions that are identifiably 'ours.' " What a perfect description of the pro-mosque left.

"Oik." Not to be confused with "oink," presumably.

Your Morning Fisk

You won't find it on its site, but the Canadian Islamic Congress has responded to the Project Samosa arrests. Here's its media release (H/T BCF), with my comments interspersed in italics:

CANADIAN ISLAMIC CONGRESS ~ STATEMENT ON THE ARRESTS

August 27, 2010

CANADIAN ISLAMIC CONGRESS EXPRESSES DISMAY AT THE ARREST OF FOUR INDIVIDUALS ON TERROR RELATED CHARGES, AND REITERATES ITS CONDEMNATION OF ALL ACTS OF VIOLENCE, TERRORISM AND EXTREMISM HERE AND ABROAD (That's the best it can muster--a lacklustre "dismay"? A rather feeble response under the circumstances, no?)

THE CIC THANKS SECURITY FORCES FOR FAST ACTION IN SAFEGUARDING OUR COUNTRY AND ITS CITIZENS AND CALLS ON DUE PROCESS OF LAW (Thank heaven it's infidel law and not that sharia stuff, eh? Otherwise there would have been no arrests and plotters might have gotten a high five and a pat on the back.)

The CIC affirms that Canadian Muslims, more than other citizens, are deeply concerned and disturbed about the arrests and especially about psychological, social and emotional impact of these arrests on the well being of Canadian Muslims. ("Especially"? Shouldn't it be the reverse--they should be "especially" concerned about the arrests and what would have prompted these men to take up the cause of terrorism in the name of jihad, and less concerned about how Canadian Muslims would react to the arrests? And might'nt we say that that's the problem in a nutshell--that Canadian Muslims--or at least their leaders--have their priorities screwed up and are "especially" worried about the wrong things?)

“Canadian Muslims are loyal citizens of Canada; they are law-abiding citizens, busy with their everyday lives and are contributing members to the Canadian society,” said CIC national president, Mrs. Wahida Valiante. (Well, not all of them, Wahida dear, hence these and other arrests, and the hundreds more questionable types security officials are reportedly keeping tabs on.)

“They are well aware of their responsibility to uphold the laws of Canada and to act in ways that safeguard the security and well-being of ALL. They fully stand with our national mandate to protect the well-being of all Canadians. However, their concern is how these arrests would be managed in Canada and what kind of impact the media reports will have on Canadian citizens of Muslim faith and other Canadians.,” she added. (Again--more concerned about the "feelings" of Muslims and a backlash that never materilizes than the real and present danger of young'uns being radicalized in supremacist teachings.)

Canadian Islamic Congress holds that the well-being of Canada and our fellow citizens is the well-being of Muslims, and that the well-being of Muslims is the well-being of our fellow citizens. That is part of the Islamic tradition which, if followed, will lead to good and faithful citizenship. (Fourteen centuries of jihad and dhimmitude might argue otherwise, but you'd have to crack open one of those dusty old history books to find that out, and Muslim leaders are pinning their hopes on the unliklihood of that ever happening.)

The CIC is very confident that our justice system will ensure that each of the accused will receive the benefit of due process and that Canadians will be informed on developments without the use of journalistic sensationalism, prejudgment, or speculation. (In other words, we'd appreciate it if, as per sharia law, you'd simply shut up, kafir.)

“We call upon all Canadian Muslims to remain calm in the wake of these arrests and ask them not to feel guilty-by-association for something what (sic) they did not do, and would never think of doing, plotting to harm their homeland and their fellow citizens,” concluded the CIC statement. (Who's she trying to convince--us or them?)

Update: A call for non-cooperation? BCF has the scoop.

No News Is Star News

As a welcome break from all the homegrown terrorism news (who wants to read that all the time?), the Toronto Star's newsprint version today features a hard-hitting piece about what you might call a social experiment. It seems the paper "lent" 5 credit cards to 5 pandhandlers to see what would happen. One of them, a stapping young lad with a fluffy yellow mohawk whose partially hidden face graces the front page, "brought it back with thanks and an $8 charge for a burger."

Proving what--that panhandlers are honest? That if we find ourselves short of change we should hand over our credit cards, knowing we'll likely be charged for, say, a hot dog and a Slurpee and not, say, an iPad and an Audi?

In a way, the Star's problems are crystalized in this piece. The paper is more interesting in scoring points for the leftist agenda--in this case by fabricating its own news--than it is in reporting the actual, factual news.

Cleverboots Harpoon "Solves" the Tricky Homegrown Terrorist Problem in One Fell Swoop

Beloved Toronto Star sage Harpoon Siddiqui has a solution to the nagging problem of "domestic terrorism,"and it echoes the thoughts of "interfaith" Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. Rauf has suggested that the U.S. bears some culpability for bringing 9/11 on itself due to its incessant meddling/excessively bloody hands. Harpoon, too, is troubled by the meddling. His ingenious way to "tackle" the likes of Jihad Idol dude? Easy-peasy: "end foreign wars."

In other words, infidels Rauf, er, raus.

That's it. That's all "we" have to do.

I have a better suggestion, one that's not so easy-peasy: remove the triumphalism, the kind expressed in the line "jihad is the goal, sharia is the way," from Islamic dogma. Also, get rid of the appealing payoff for self-detonation. If horny would-be shahids know that the old Playboy Mansion in the sky is out of business--permanently--maybe they'll think twice about "martyrdom."

Direct from Vegastan

Ladies and gentlemen, the musical stylings of Sunni and Sher!

They say we're young
And we don't know,
Won't get virgins ti-i-ill we blow (up).
Well, my imam sez all that's true
'Cuz you know we can blame it on the Jew.
Babe, blame the Jew, babe,
Blame the Jew, babe...

And then they sang...

The shaheeds go on.
Yes, shaheeds go on.
Lads keep blowin' their innards
To smithereens.
Jihadi-dadi-dee, jihadi-dadi-da...

Whereupon Sher did his big solo hit:

"Jihadis, brave shaheeds."
We'd hear it from the imams so renowned.
They'd call us, "Jihadis, brave shaheeds."
But ev'ry time infidels'd come around
And shut our project down...

Of course, they always close with their signature song:

...Blame the Jew for World War 2,
Blame the Jew for stomach flu.
Blame the Jew for killing Mo.
Blame the Jew 'cuz he's our foe.
Blame the Jew but don't blame me.
Blame the Jew for infamy.
Blame the Jew for your despair.
Blame the Jew because he's there.

Babe, blame the Jew, babe.
Blame the Jew, babe,
Blame the Jew, babe.

Senile Dementia Alert

Fidel Castro says Osama bin Laden is a U.S. spy.

A Story Too Hot For the Calipha Broadcasting Corp. and the Rest of the Timorous MSM to Touch?

BCF has all the scorching details here. And lest you're wondering why I referred to the Ceej by that nic, it's because this morning on the way to synagogue I listened, mouth open wide in astonishment, to a report on Ceej radio that tried to wrest maximum sympathy for Jihadi Idol dude. (He's a "humanitarian" who volunteered to help out in Pakistan and the Palestinian Territories and even gave talks about it afterwards--well, big whoop and cry me a flaming Nile river!)

'Bridge-Building' in Action

Looks like they're going to "build" those "bridges" whether you like it or not, kafir. From the WSJ:

The developer of the proposed mosque and cultural center near Ground Zero began fund raising for the controversial project Friday, collecting $10,000 in pledges following a well-attended prayer service at the downtown site.

"We've established a not-for-profit entity as of this week and as of now we are able to start fund raising and start collecting money on behalf of the project," said Sharif El-Gamal, head of SoHo Properties, following Friday's service.

The abrupt fund-raising effort followed religious services Friday and came at the end of a muddled event that drew a media mob, police officers and sign-wielding protesters...

$10,000 down; $99,990,000 to go.

Update: The fundraising/bridge building may get a shot in the arm--Reuters reports the "interfaith" bamboozle could qualify for public funds. That's the way to do it--get the infidel to pay for your dawa.

Hung Jury

Another day, another alleged big kaboomer being sought in connection with Project Samosa. The tally is now up to eight, and who knows how many will be ensnared by the time it's wrapped up. In what may perhaps be the most amusing analogy ever made re the jihad (which, let's face it, ain't exactly a barrel of laughs), the National Post's editorial calls alleged Samosan/Canadian Idol wannabe Khurrum Syed Sher "The Islamists' William Hung."

Too funny.

I guess we should be thankful that Hung isn't Muslim, because who knows where he might have ended up once his brief moment in the spotlight had run out--right Khurrum?

Dead Ringers?

Ben Bernake and Feisal Abdul Rauf?

Shock Amok

Maclean's reports that Khurrum Sher's friends are--quel surprise--"baffled by his arrest":

Since Khurram Sher, 28, was charged in an Ottawa court with a single count of conspiracy to facilitate a terrorist offence, his friends can’t make sense of the crime. The McGill-trained physician was known as a community pillar, loving husband and father of three small children. Former coworkers from McGill’s Health Centre say he had a great sense of humour, and that he was peaceful and likeable, and known for singing Avril Lavigne’s ‘Complicated’ on Canadian Idol auditions in June 2008. “He’s a great guy, there is absolutely no way he is involved in this,” said one colleague at the Montreal General Hospital who believes this is a case of mistaken identity. He added: “Anyone who knows him would say he couldn’t be involved in this.”

Yeah, I'm sure the whole thing is a horrible mistake.

West Nails It

Writes Diana the great:

...But the unprecedented furor over plans for a mosque complex at Ground Zero tells us there is a coalescing sense that Islam is more than a "mere" religion as non-Muslims conceive of "religion." It is becoming clear to people, despite the gag of political correctness, that there's a reason "Islam" means "submission." Islam not only seeks to order the spiritual realm inhabited by a Muslim and Allah, it lays out a doctrine to control every believer's behavior (down to the most intimate bodily functions) as well as the public life of the collective. Doctrinally, Islam is thus "doubly totalitarian" in the words of G.H. Bousquet, a leading scholar of Islamic law, in accordance with the body of law known as Shariah. Under Shariah, freedom of conscience and freedom of speech are outlawed with extreme sanction (those who leave Islam fear death to this day), while non-Muslims and women exist as legal inferiors to the Muslim man. Meanwhile, jihad -- holy war to extend Islamic rule -- is a sacred command. And I have the books that prove it.

In other words, this isn't Islam because I say so, but because its sacred, authoritative, mainstream, non-hijacked, untwisted texts say so. It is the religious and political and legal ideology that inspired the al-Qaida killers on 9/11, and it is the religious and political and legal ideology that inspires the mosque complex at Ground Zero. And I didn't come up with that, folks; I just happened to notice, and thought you should know.


The crucial fact is, whether we are brutalized by acts of jihad or confused by acts of dawa (proselytizing), their goal is identical: more Islamic law. And this end will always justify the means as seen, for example, back in 2005 when hundreds of acclaimed Islamic clerics and heads of state gathered in Amman, Jordan. There, quite anti-climactically, they issued the "Amman Message" that declares that no Muslim who adheres to a recognized school of Islam may be labeled an apostate. Subtext: Not even Osama bin Laden could be, in effect, ex-communicated or otherwise blackballed or removed from good standing by these Islamic authorities. One of the 552 signatories was Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf.

Bloomberg types are blind to these things, from the Shariah-spreading efforts of Rauf (noted here last week), to dictates of Shariah that subvert constitutional liberties. So, blindly, they sound platitudes in Islam's defense, plucking emotional chords that resonate with Americans about "liberty," "tolerance" and "religious freedom" on behalf of a belief system that, ultra-ironically, outlaws them all...

By Their Concerns (or Absence Thereof) Shall Ye Know Them

The news about Project Samosa and the latest homegrown terror threat has prompted the Canadian Islamic Congress to...say absolutely nada. (Mum's the word for sweet Wahida, I guess.) However, the CIC is extremely concerned about what it obviously views as a really critical issue, a matter so grave that it is the lead article in the CIC's weekly online magazine. And the concern that has Wahida's second in command wringing his hands in anguish: the no-longer compulsory long form Canadian census.

Yeah, that's the one that sure keeps me up nights, too. 

Margolis Lays Blame (In All the Wrong Places)

Esteemed and trustworthy pundit Eric Margolis tells the Ceeb what he thinks may have prompted Project Samosa suspects to want to kill and main Canadian kafirs. Here's a hint: it isn't the siren call of "jihad is way, sharia is the goal":

All three suspects arrested are educated men pursuing professional careers. Police said Sher is a McGill medical graduate who travelled to Pakistan in 2006 to help with earthquake relief and also auditioned for the Canadian Idol singing competition in the past.

Ahmed worked as an X-ray technician at an Ottawa hospital and had a wife and child, while Alizadeh had studied to be an electrical engineer. All three men are Canadian citizens.

Their profiles are likely to raise concerns about homegrown radicalism, said security expert Eric Margolis, who said the roots of the radicalism is likely triggered by anger over the involvement of Western governments in countries such as Afghanistan.

Gee, Eric, that's so unlike you--not blaming it on Israel, I mean. Seems to me, though, that the "radicals"  were "angry" long before Western involvement in countries such as Afghanistan. But, hey, I'm not the highly-paid, highly-regarded expert that you are, so what do I know?

The Cordoba Fairy Tale

David Solway writes:

The proposed construction of the “Cordoba” mega-mosque near Ground Zero has served as a catalyst for a renewed interest in the history of Cordoba under Islamic rule in Al-Andalus (Spain). Many of those who are opposed to Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf’s presumed “bridge building” initiative, as represented by the project first called Cordoba House and now renamed Park51, have gone back to the history books, or have decided to speak out and address the purport of the designation: “Cordoba.” For instance, Victor Davis Hanson in a recent interview alludes to “the rather silly evocation of Cordoba; in toto, it was not really a utopian medieval city of understanding.” And Lisa Graas shows that “things started out rather bad under Muslim rule…and went downhill over time…The history for us is clear and it is a history that no Catholic would like to see a repeat of in Manhattan.” Cordoba Jews fared better for a time, as Jane Gerber lavishly chronicles in The Jews of Spain, but they too eventually fell victim to persecution. Even the renowned Jewish sage Moses Maimonides was forced to flee the city, escaping to Fez where he lived for years disguised as a Muslim.

And yet all this should have been evident in the weeks and months after the Twin Towers were destroyed and nearly three thousand people were murdered by so-called “Islamist” terrorists. For it would not take long before Muslim and non-Muslim apologists for the “religion of peace” would hearken back to the ostensibly genial and temperate era of Moorish Spain, a time, we were instructed, when Christians and Jews were welcomed by their Muslim overlords and peacefully integrated into the life of the realm, permitted to worship freely and even received into the learned professions, many as katibs (secretaries) to the Caliph. Such conjurings by journalists and pundits constituted nothing less than an intellectual embarrassment. Mutatis mutandis, these fairy tale votaries resembled an updated version of Danny Kaye and crew singing “Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen,” that “friendly old girl of a town.”...

Here's an update for Danny and crew:

Wonderful, wonderful Old Cordoba
Friendly al-Andalus town.
Fair and tolerant.
It's no accident.
Let us grin as they spin us around.
Yes, wonderful, wonderful Old Cordoba.
Interfaith harmony ruled.
Muslims and the rest
Passed the friendship test
Singing Old Cordoba,
Wonderful, wonderful,
Old Cordoba's the best!

Apologist's Abstract Expressionism

Lee Smith, an apologist for Islam, attempts to downplay the threat posed to free, democratic societies by sharia by claiming it's "a hopelessly abstract concept." And yet Nonie Darwish has no problem at all concretizing it--and showing Smith to be speaking utter bollocks--here.

Municpal Masturbation/Speak Softly But Carry a Big Pole/You Can Run It Up the Flagpole, But I Ain't Saluting

Here's the type of "genius" thinking that animates the superannuated frat boys of Toronto's city council. From the National Post:

Toronto city council voted yesterday to call on drug makers Pfizer Inc. and Eli Lilly Inc. to help bankroll a 125-metre flagpole, which one veteran Toronto councillor excitedly describes as "the largest pole erection in North America."

"The makers of Viagra would jump at the chance to sponsor the largest pole in North America," predicted a grinning Councillor Howard Moscoe (Eglinton-Lawrence), a member of the mayor's executive committee. He praised the local councillor and flagpole champion, Giorgio Mammoliti, for "attempting to bring some life to this unremarkable corner of Toronto."...

Might one infer from the above-described levity that councillors are attempting to make up for their own, um, shortcomings? (As a wag--female, of course--once observed: There is such a thing as 'penis envy'--but only men have it.)

Update: We already have a ready big penis. Why do we need another one?

Who's Thick as a Brick?

Mayor Bloomy is, that's who. He tells Smirking Head John Stewart

The furious debate over the proposed mosque near Ground Zero is being stoked by politicians who "don't really care one way or the other" and are only out to hustle votes, Mayor Bloomberg charged last night.

"This whole issue, I think, will go away right after the next election," Bloomberg said at a taping of "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart.

"This is plain and simple people trying to stir things up to get publicity and trying to polarize people so they can get some votes. And I don't think most of those people who are yelling and screaming really care one way or the other.

Fascinating. A man on whom 9/11 appears to have had no discernable impact. Thick as a brick, and has a heart of stone (except, of course, for newfound "interfaith" pal Imam Rauf and his fetching Missus).

It's Complicated (Part II)

Viz the different ways the Conservatives and Liberals approach the homegrown terrorist problem, as revealed in this CITY TV report:

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, speaking in Winnipeg, said government and police are constantly vigilant but added "all freedom-loving Canadians also play a role in the protection of our nation." 

"I call on all Canadians to stand up and be vigilant against the terrorist threat against our nation."

The Grits, on the other hand, have other priorities:

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff cautioned against a "witch hunt."

Also known as a "backlash," and, like "Islamophobia" something that exists largely in the realm of imagination. Also, no jihad to see here folks (says the leader who's on a desperate, um, "hunt" for Muslim votes)--or at least, not enough to worry our little, hoi polloi-ish heads about. Let our "wisers" and "betters" (our Iggys) do our "worrying"--or lack thereof--for us:

"I think we always need to take the threat seriously and we need to support the RCMP and CSIS as they do their jobs," said Ignatieff. "But let's not walk around feeling menaced ... feeling under threat.

And, anyway, it's not like they're singling out Canada, or anything:

"This is a threat common to democratic societies around the world and the right way to deal with it is to be very calm. Let the police do their jobs and let the courts do their job."

Thanks, Iggy. I feel sooo much better after being shmeared with the balm of your unctuous, er, soothing words. Alas, the Kumbaya-like sanguinity was dispelled almost immediately by security expert John Thompson. Thompson told AM640's John Oakley this morning that, while so far we've been able to avoid a big kaboom here in Canada, we should realize that the plotters are getting smarter, and police are apprehending them later and later in the planning cycle (hello, Times Square bomber). It's only a matter of time before one or other of their plots strikes paydirt.
 
He also tried to account for the plotters' motivations, explaining that it's not unusual for "homegrown" laddies to feel something of an identity crisis and manifest a desire to reconnect with their "roots". Such young'uns are ripe for a radical preacher's plucking. And they needn't even come in contact with a radical iman since they can use the Internet to "self-radicalize."
 
All in all, a pretty scary picture (and Thompson didn't even go into how political correctness is inhibiting investigations and societal resolve to do something, dammit!)

It's Complicated

Did you know that for his Canadian Idol audition, alleged terror plotter Dr. Khurrum Syed Sher (what is it with all the doctor jihadis--Major Dr. Hassan, the Fort Hood shooter, Dr. al-Zawahiri , Al Quaeda's #2, those Scottish docs?) performed--badly--Avril Lavigne's hit "Complicated"? You can watch it here. (Oddly enough, Sher, who was born in Montreal, feigns a Pakistani accent during the interview. Whassup with that?) In light of Sher's arrest, I've taken the liberty of revising the song's chorus:

Why'd you wanna go and make
Things so conflagrated?
We see the way you're acting
All jihadi makes us feel hated.
Your life's now crap.
You bark in the dark not a lark
And you spark an inquiry into
Jihadis, get on your knees,
We'll never bow to your malarkey.
No no no.

Intersections' Statement

Intersections, the "social justice" outfit the cabby stabber volunteered for, released this statement:

We at Intersections are deeply saddened by the stabbing incident on Tuesday evening, perpetrated against a Muslim New York City cab driver. Our earnest prayers are extended to the victim, Mr. Ahmed Sharif, for a full and speedy recovery. There is no place in this city, or anywhere else, for such senseless acts of violence.

We are further saddened that the person charged with this crime, Michael Enright, has been a volunteer with Intersections for the past year. Mike’s work with us was generous and responsible. He shared our vision for a diverse and peaceful world and our prayers go out to him and his family as well. This unfathomable incident is profoundly sad on many levels.

Intersection’s core mission is tied to interfaith dialogue and cross cultural cooperation, especially with our Muslim brothers and sisters. We deplore violence and any act that may be categorized as a hate crime. We will continue to work tirelessly to forge common ground among those who differ so that together we can build a city where God’s rich human mosaic is lived out in harmony, and free of fear and violence.

Notice they call is a "mosaic," no doubt because a "melting pot," the previous American paradigm, is passe and not multicultural (everyone getting melted down in the same hot pot). That said, there's still something fishy about the incident.

Superficial Assimilation

Remember those lads who blew up themselves and some others on the London transit system some years ago? Remember how reports at the time mentioned how utterly shocked their relatives and others were to learn of their involvement because, outwardly at least, the lads seemed so thoroughly British--fans of football, video games and fish 'n' chips? How could these of all young'uns be lured into hiding bombs in their rucksacks and "martyring" themselves for Allah's cause?

My thoughts turned to those ostensibly--but not genuinely--assimilated young Brits when I read this report in the National Post about the young men ensnared by the RCMP's "Project Samosa". One of them--a young man who, until now had been pursuing a very successful medical career, who adored playing hockey and who appeared to be thoroughly Canadianized--shocked his relatives by becoming involved in what is alleged to be a jihadi terrorist plot:
Here we have a young man who, by all appearances, is well-rounded and has his act together--a hail-fellow-well-met, respected physician, husband, father, who, in his down time, plays hockey. A person who, on the face of it, would be deemed a success. And yet--and yet--he was willing to throw it all away (allegedly) for the chance to kill Canadians in the most horrible way imaginable. The only way to comprehend what appears to the rest of us to be crazy is this: to those who are receptive to it, the siren call of jihad is so alluring, so utterly beguiling, that it trumps everything else. It can compel an obviously intelligent professional who seemingly has everything to live for to throw it all away on what amounts to a crap shoot.

In 2007, Dr. Khurram Sher was one of a group of doctors who signed a letter to then-Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day protesting the treatment of three Muslim men who were being held in a Kingston penitentiary on security certificates. Dr. Sher is a 2005 graduate of the McGill medical school in Montreal and was in Pakistan in 2006 during the relief efforts after an earthquake in Kashmir.

Khurram Sher's uncle, Rafat Syed said he was stunned by the charges his nephew is facing.

"Oh my god, impossible. He's not that type of person. You must be joking," Mr. Syed said. "These days, frankly speaking, you cannot even trust your brother or sister. The world is getting nasty."

Mr. Syed thinks it's possible that his nephew was framed by someone who might be jealous of his success.

Dr. Sher was born in Montreal, but recently moved to work as a pathologist at the St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital in southwestern Ontario, said his uncle, Rafat Syed.

Dr. Sher, an only child, lost his father to cancer several years ago and his mother is living in southwestern Ontario.

Dr. Sher was married several years ago and has three young children, including an infant.

Mr. Syed described his nephew as "very sporty" and said would have likely become a hockey player if he didn't go into medicine... 

It that nuts? Or should it be seem more like an addiction --one becomes addicted to the excitement of the subterfuge, the thrill of the conspiracy, in the same way that, say, a gambler becomes addicted to the blackjack table? I don't have the expertise to address the matter, but it would seem to me to be an interesting area of study.

Update: You can't get any more mainstream Canadian than this--the suspect once tried out for Canadian Idol. (H/T BCF)

U.S. Abases Itself Before the Wretched "Human Rights" Gods

More evidence that corrupt "human rights" utopianism has run amock--Roger Pilon fills us in on the latest "human rights" caperings involving the U.S. and the UN:

America has human-rights problems, the Obama State Department told the world this week, especially concerning our treatment of women, blacks, Latinos, Muslims, South Asians, Native Americans, and members of the LBGT community. But we’re working to build “a more perfect world.” That’s the gist of a just-released 29-page self-assessment required by the U.N. Human Rights Council.

After reading such rhetorical gems as “the American experiment is a human experiment,” we discover that we fall short on “fairness, equality, and dignity” in such areas as education, health, and housing. To remedy educational deficiencies at the college level, the Obama Department of Education is assiduously promoting “educational equity for women and students of color,” something underrepresented white men may be interested to learn. And here’s another human-rights problem: “Asian-American men suffer from stomach cancer 114 percent more often than non-Hispanic white men.”

You get the picture. The report reads like a politically correct campaign brochure, touting everything from the administration’s stimulus spending to Obamacare as promoting “human rights.”...

May I just say this about that: barf. Also, I wonder if the report mentions that in actual fact and by a wide margain Jews are the preferred target of hate crimes in the U.S.