Iran ends cooperation with UN nuclear arms probe

By GEORGE JAHN
The Associated Press Thursday, July 24, 2008; 5:16 PM [excerpt]

VIENNA, Austria -- Iran signaled Thursday that it will no longer cooperate with U.N. experts probing for signs of clandestine nuclear weapons work, confirming the investigation is at a dead end a year after it began.

What is the basis for Saudi-influenced education about Jews?

"The Qu'ran describes the Jews with their own particular degenerate characteristics"

Is this the basis for Saudi-influenced education worldwide?

By Mark Finkelstein


Summary:
1. Current Saudi textbooks used in the U.S. and worldwide include “slurs” directed toward non-Muslims, including Jews.
2. Prominent Islamic fundamentalist theologians teach that the Qur’an describes the Jews with their own “particular degenerate characteristics.”
3. A fundamentalistic Islamic scholar lists 20 “bad traits” of the Jews and identifies the Quranic verse justifying each trait.

A. As reported previously, a Washington Post review of Saudi textbooks (2006) being taught at a Saudi-funded academy in Virginia revealed the presence of “slurs” directed towards other religions. ( Washington Post, July 15, 2008)

In addition, a study conducted by a different organization purportedly “shows [in detail] that the same violent and intolerant teachings against other religious believers noted in 2006 remain in the current texts.”

B. One important question related to this topic has to be: what’s behind the “slurs?” What is the basis of the defamation of non-Muslims, and in particular, Jews, by Saudi-influenced fundamentalist Muslims?

Undeniably, there is material in the Quran which praises Jews and material that deprecates Jews. >None of this would matter much at all if it weren’t the case that the deprecatory material is still being included in textbooks worldwide, including, apparently, within the United States

C. Where does defense of the defamatory material come from? From the leadership of the most traditional, fundamentalistic Islamic insitutions.

For example, Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, perhaps the most influential cleric of the majority (Sunni) sect of Islam [Grand imam of Al-Azhar University], has written (and presumably still stands by his pronouncement):

[The] Qur’an describes the Jews with their own particular degenerate characteristics, i.e. killing the prophets of Allah, corrupting His words by putting them in the wrong places, consuming the people’s wealth frivolously, refusal to distance themselves from the evil they do, and other ugly characteristics caused by their deep-rooted lasciviousness…only a minority of the Jews keep their word….[A]ll Jews are not the same. The good ones become Muslims, the bad ones do not. (Qur’an 3:113)

Source: Banu Isra’il fi al-Qur’an wa al-Sunna [Jews in the Koran and the Traditions], 1986 edition. By Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi. English translation by Dr. Michael Schub. As cited by Bostom

D. Rather than simply assert what Imam Tantawi is alluding to, in stating that the Quran describes the permanent, particular degenerate characteristics of Jews, here is a 2004 listing of twenty “bad traits” of the Jews, each identified with a Quranic verse by the author of the listing, a Sheikh ‘Atiyyah Saqer, former head of the Al-Azhar Fatwa Committee. (Cited as an authority by Islamic sources )

Here, first, is Sheikh Saqer’s prefatory comment as to how to understand the material he presents:

"The Qur'an has specified a considerable deal of its verses to talking about Jews, their personal qualities and characteristics. The Qur'anic description of Jews is quite impartial; praising them in some occasions where they deserve praise and condemning them in other occasions where they practice blameworthy acts. Yet, the latter occasions outnumbered the former, due to their bad qualities and the heinous acts they used to commit. The Qur'an praises them on the verse that reads: ' And verily We gave the Children of Israel the Scripture and the Command and the Prophethood, and provided them with good things and favored them above (all) peoples.' (Al-Jathiyah:16) i.e. the peoples of their time." …. "All this gives us glad tidings of the coming victory of Muslims over [the Jews], as soon as Muslims cling to strong faith and belief in Allah and adopt modern means of technology."

Saqr then lists the following 20 "bad traits" of the Jews, as they appear in the Qur'an: [As documented by MEMRI](2004)

1. "They used to fabricate things and falsely ascribe them to Allah. Allah Almighty says: 'That is because they say: We have no duty to the Gentiles. They knowingly speak a lie concerning Allah.' (Al-'Imran: 75) Also: 'The Jews say: Allah's hand is fettered. [But it is] their hands that are fettered and they are accursed for saying [Allah's hands are fettered]. Nay, but both His hands are spread out wide in bounty. He bestoweth as He will' (Al-Ma'idah: 64) In another verse, Almighty Allah says: 'Verily, Allah heard the words of those who said, (when asked for contributions to the war): 'Allah, forsooth, is poor, and we are rich! We shall record their words with their wrongful slaying of the Prophets and we shall say: Taste ye the punishment of burning!' (Al-'Imran: 181)

2. "They love to listen to lies. Concerning this Allah says: 'And of the Jews: listeners for the sake of falsehood, listeners on behalf of other folk.' (Al-Ma'idah: 41)

3. "Disobeying Almighty Allah and never observing His commands. Allah says: 'And because they broke their covenant, We have cursed them and hardened their hearts.' (Al-Ma'idah: 13)

4. "Disputing and quarreling. This is clear in the verse that reads: 'Their Prophet said unto them: Lo! Allah hath raised up Saul to be a king for you. They said: How can he have kingdom over us when we are more deserving of the kingdom than he is, since he hath not been given wealth enough?' (Al-Baqarah: 247)

5. "Hiding the truth and supporting deception. This can be understood from the verse that reads: '… [They] distort the Scripture with their tongues, that ye may think that what they say is from the Scripture, when it is not from the Scripture.' (Al-'Imran: 78)

6. "Rebelling against the Prophets and rejecting their guidance. This is clear in the verse: 'And when ye said: O Moses! We will not believe in thee till we see Allah plainly.' (Al-Baqarah: 55)

7. "Hypocrisy. In a verse, we read: 'And when they fall in with those who believe, they say: We believe; but when they go apart to their devils they declare: Lo! we are with you; verily we did but mock.' (Al-Baqarah: 14) In another verse, we read: 'Enjoin ye righteousness upon mankind while ye yourselves forget (to practice it)? And ye are readers of the Scripture! Have ye then no sense?' (Al-Baqarah: 44)

8. "Giving preference to their own interests over the rulings of religion and the dictates of truth. Allah says [to the Jews]: '… When there cometh unto you a messenger (from Allah) with that which ye yourselves desire not, ye grow arrogant, and some ye disbelieve and some ye slay?' (Al-Baqarah: 87)

9. "Wishing evil for people and trying to mislead them. This is clear in the verse that reads: 'Many of the People of the Book long to make you disbelievers after your belief, through envy on their own account, after the truth hath become manifest unto them.' (Al-Baqarah: 109)

10. "They feel pain to see others in happiness and are gleeful when others are afflicted with a calamity. This is clear in the verse that reads: 'If a lucky chance befall you, it is evil unto them, and if disaster strike you they rejoice thereat.' (Al-'Imran: 120)

11. "They are known for their arrogance and haughtiness. They claim to be the sons and of Allah and His beloved ones. Allah tells us about this in the verse that reads: 'The Jews and Christians say: We are sons of Allah and His loved ones.' (Al-Ma'idah: 18)

12. "Utilitarianism and opportunism are among their innate traits. This is clear in the verse that reads: 'And of their taking usury when they were forbidden it, and of their devouring people's wealth by false pretences.' (An-Nisa': 161)

13. "Their rudeness and vulgarity is beyond description. Referring to this, the Qur'anic verse reads: 'Some of those who are Jews change words from their context and say: We hear and disobey; hear thou as one who heareth not, and Listen to us!, distorting with their tongues and slandering religion. If they had said: We hear and we obey; hear thou, and look at us, it had been better for them, and more upright. But Allah hath cursed them for their disbelief, so they believe not, save for a few.' (An-Nisa':46)

14. "It is easy for them to slay people and kill innocents. Nothing in the world is dearer to their hearts than shedding blood and murdering human beings. They never give up this trait even with the Messengers and the Prophets. Allah says: '… And [they] slew the prophets wrongfully.' (Al-Baqarah: 61)

15. "They are merciless and heartless. In this meaning, the Qur'anic verse explains: 'Then, even after that, your hearts were hardened and became as rocks, or worse than rocks, for hardness.' (Al-Baqarah: 74)

16. "They never keep their promises or fulfill their words. Almighty Allah says: Is it ever so that when ye make a covenant, a party of you violates it?' The truth is, most of them believe not.' (Al-Baqarah: 100)

17. "They rush hurriedly to sin and compete in transgression. Allah says: 'They restrained not one another from the wickedness they did. Verily, evil was what they used to do!' (Al-Ma'idah: 79)

18. "Cowardice and love for this worldly life are undisputable traits [of the Jews]. It is to this that the Qur'an refers when saying: 'Ye [Muslims] are more awful as fear in their [the Jews'] bosoms than Allah. That is because they are people who understand not. They will not fight against you in a group save in fortified villages or from behind walls. Their adversity among themselves is very great. Ye think of them as a whole whereas their hearts are diverse.' (Al-Hashr: 13-14) Allah Almighty also says: 'And thou wilt find them greediest of mankind for life and (greedier) than the idolaters.' (Al-Baqarah: 96)

19. "Miserliness runs deep in their hearts. Describing this, the Qur'an states: 'Or have they even a share in the Sovereignty? Then in that case, they would not give mankind even the speck on a date stone.' (An-Nisa': 53)

20. "Distorting Divine Revelation and Allah's Sacred Books. Allah says in this regard: 'Therefore woe be unto those who write the Scripture with their hands and say, 'This is from Allah,' that they may purchase a small gain therewith. Woe unto them for what their hands have written, and woe unto them for what they earn thereby.' (Al-Baqara: 79)
-----------------------
Notes: 1. There are 114 suras or major divisions in the Quran. The names of each major division ( e.g., Al-Baqara) may be assigned a number. Therefore Al-Baqara: 79 can be expressed as sura 2, verse 79. In the text above, here are the numbers that correspond with the names of the suras listed;

Al-Imram = sura 3; Al Maidah = sura 5; Al Baqarah= sura 2; An- Nisa’ = sura 4;
Al Hashr =sura 59

2. You can look up each sura and verse in an online Quran, with several English translations. One resource is http://www.al-islam.org/Quran/ For example, you can look up 2: 79 with the search engine on the webpage.

Benny Morris: Tehran should hope that Israel can disable its nuclear weapons program with use of conventional weaponry

Using Bombs to Stave off War
By BENNY MORRIS, Li-On, Israel Op Ed in the NY Times July 18, 2008

ISRAEL will almost surely attack Iran’s nuclear sites in the next four to seven months

— and the leaders in Washington and even Tehran should hope that the attack will be successful enough to cause at least a significant delay in the Iranian production schedule, if not complete destruction, of that country’s nuclear program.

Because if the attack fails, the Middle East will almost certainly face a nuclear war — either through a subsequent pre-emptive Israeli nuclear strike or a nuclear exchange shortly after Iran gets the bomb.

It is in the interest of neither Iran nor the United States (nor, for that matter, the rest of the world) that Iran be savaged by a nuclear strike, or that both Israel and Iran suffer such a fate. We know what would ensue: a traumatic destabilization of the Middle East with resounding political and military consequences around the globe, serious injury to the West’s oil supply and radioactive pollution of the earth’s atmosphere and water.

But should Israel’s conventional assault fail to significantly harm or stall the Iranian program, a ratcheting up of the Iranian-Israeli conflict to a nuclear level will most likely follow. Every intelligence agency in the world believes the Iranian program is geared toward making weapons, not to the peaceful applications of nuclear power. And, despite the current talk of additional economic sanctions, everyone knows that such measures have so far led nowhere and are unlikely to be applied with sufficient scope to cause Iran real pain, given Russia’s and China’s continued recalcitrance and Western Europe’s (and America’s) ambivalence in behavior, if not in rhetoric. Western intelligence agencies agree that Iran will reach the “point of no return” in acquiring the capacity to produce nuclear weapons in one to four years.

Which leaves the world with only one option if it wishes to halt Iran’s march toward nuclear weaponry: the military option, meaning an aerial assault by either the United States or Israel. Clearly, America has the conventional military capacity to do the job, which would involve a protracted air assault against Iran’s air defenses followed by strikes on the nuclear sites themselves. But, as a result of the Iraq imbroglio, and what is rapidly turning into the Afghan imbroglio, the American public has little enthusiasm for wars in the Islamic lands. This curtails the White House’s ability to begin yet another major military campaign in pursuit of a goal that is not seen as a vital national interest by many Americans.

Which leaves only Israel — the country threatened almost daily with destruction by Iran’s leaders. Thus the recent reports about Israeli plans and preparations to attack Iran (the period from Nov. 5 to Jan. 19 seems the best bet, as it gives the West half a year to try the diplomatic route but ensures that Israel will have support from a lame-duck White House).

The problem is that Israel’s military capacities are far smaller than America’s and, given the distances involved, the fact that the Iranian sites are widely dispersed and underground, and Israel’s inadequate intelligence, it is unlikely that the Israeli conventional forces, even if allowed the use of Jordanian and Iraqi airspace (and perhaps, pending American approval, even Iraqi air strips) can destroy or perhaps significantly delay the Iranian nuclear project.

Nonetheless, Israel, believing that its very existence is at stake — and this is a feeling shared by most Israelis across the political spectrum — will certainly make the effort. Israel’s leaders, from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert down, have all explicitly stated that an Iranian bomb means Israel’s destruction; Iran will not be allowed to get the bomb.

The best outcome will be that an Israeli conventional strike, whether failed or not — and, given the Tehran regime’s totalitarian grip, it may not be immediately clear how much damage the Israeli assault has caused — would persuade the Iranians to halt their nuclear program, or at least persuade the Western powers to significantly increase the diplomatic and economic pressure on Iran.

But the more likely result is that the international community will continue to do nothing effective and that Iran will speed up its efforts to produce the bomb that can destroy Israel. The Iranians will also likely retaliate by attacking Israel’s cities with ballistic missiles (possibly topped with chemical or biological warheads); by prodding its local clients, Hezbollah and Hamas, to unleash their own armories against Israel; and by activating international Muslim terrorist networks against Israeli and Jewish — and possibly American — targets worldwide (though the Iranians may at the last moment be wary of provoking American military involvement).

Such a situation would confront Israeli leaders with two agonizing, dismal choices. One is to allow the Iranians to acquire the bomb and hope for the best — meaning a nuclear standoff, with the prospect of mutual assured destruction preventing the Iranians from actually using the weapon. The other would be to use the Iranian counterstrikes as an excuse to escalate and use the only means available that will actually destroy the Iranian nuclear project: Israel’s own nuclear arsenal.

Given the fundamentalist, self-sacrificial mindset of the mullahs who run Iran, Israel knows that deterrence may not work as well as it did with the comparatively rational men who ran the Kremlin and White House during the cold war. They are likely to use any bomb they build, both because of ideology and because of fear of Israeli nuclear pre-emption. Thus an Israeli nuclear strike to prevent the Iranians from taking the final steps toward getting the bomb is probable. The alternative is letting Tehran have its bomb. In either case, a Middle Eastern nuclear holocaust would be in the cards.

Iran’s leaders would do well to rethink their gamble and suspend their nuclear program. Bar this, the best they could hope for is that Israel’s conventional air assault will destroy their nuclear facilities. To be sure, this would mean thousands of Iranian casualties and international humiliation. But the alternative is an Iran turned into a nuclear wasteland. Some Iranians may believe that this is a worthwhile gamble if the prospect is Israel’s demise. But most Iranians probably don’t.

Benny Morris, a professor of Middle Eastern history at Ben-Gurion University, is the author, most recently, of “1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War.”

Spiegel "discovers" AlQaeda-sect in Gaza

Der Spiegel interviews leader of Al-Qaeda-sect training in Gaza.

"Jihadi leader: For those who don't want to accept the hegemony of Islam, holy war is the only recipe."

Jihadis operating in Gaza By Ulrike Putz in the Gaza Strip [7/18/08] excerpts

Global power is their goal, and they are willing to slaughter innocents to get there. A group of ultra-radical Islamists [sic] are training in the Gaza Strip, and SPIEGEL ONLINE met with one of their leaders.

….Abu Mustafa holds the key to an ideology that many are turning to in the Gaza Strip: Salafist jihadism, a belief in the most radical form of Islam. [Believe me, Hamas is radical enough -- Mark] "We meet secretly in mosques and private homes," says Abu Mustafa, who has become an entry point to the movement for many. He says the Salafis [in Gaza] now number up to 5,000 people, not counting the women and children. ….

Salafis -- sometimes referred to as Wahhabis -- dream of a world before Islam became cluttered with new innovations and cultural influences. They seek to live a pious, god-fearing life governed by [shariah] the laws of [Islamic] religion, a life resembling those of the original Muslims.

At first glance, such a belief system doesn't differ much from that of other utopian sects -- were it not for their ideas related to holy war [jihad]. To make their vision a reality, Abu Mustafa and his men are willing to fight -- and they are willing to slaughter innocent bystanders.

"Look," says Abu Mustafa, whose beard cascades down his chest, "there will be three possibilities".

"Some will find their way to Islam."

"Those who don't want to convert will be able to live in peace under the authority of Islam." [The dhimma pact requires non-Muslims to live as a submissive minority as long as they pay the jizya tax of subjection, as mandated in the Quran, 9:29 -- Mark]

"For those who don't want to accept the hegemony of Islam, however, holy war [jihad] is the only recipe".

"Then we have to fight -- just like our brothers on Sept. 11," Abu Mustafa says.

....
Salafis from the Gaza Strip first stepped into the global spotlight in March 2007, when jihadis from Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) kidnapped BBC journalist Alan Johnston, who was based in the Gaza Strip. ….

Condolences to the Goldwasser and Regev families

The Jewish Agency is offering the opportunity to send condolences to the bereaved Goldwasser and Regev families. The emails will be forwarded to the families next week, during the course of the Shiva.

Visit the Jewish Agency English homepage, and click on the link to send a condolence letter.

The Jewish Agency has also dedicated a special micro site in memory of the soldiers, www.abducted.org.il

May the families be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

Kind to be Cruel

כל מי שנעשה רחמן במקום אכזרי סוף שנעשה אכזרי במקום רחמן

All who are made to be compassionate in the place of the cruel
In the end are made to be cruel in the place of the compassionate
Qohelet Raba, 7:16

The more colloquial version is, “If you are kind to the cruel, you will end up being cruel to the kind.”

Who would have guessed where this aphorism came from? //Mark

(h/t Contentious Centrist)

Palestinian Authority President Abbas sends condolences to families of dead soldiers


Headline adapted from ynetnews report. Published: 07.16.08,

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has congratulated the family of Samir Kuntar and the four other prisoners who will be returned to Lebanon as part of a prisoner exchange deal with Hizbullah.

He also expressed his condolences to the families of Hizbullah fighters receiving their relatives' bodies. (Ali Waked)

(h/t yourish.com) [Wait till someone tells him it's useful to send condolences to the Israeli families. -- Mark]