A govervment run think-tank in the United Arab Emirates warns Persian Gulf states might be the next countries in which Al Qaida attacks.

The report, published by the government-run Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research, said Osama bin Laden’s terror network is busy recruiting and sinking roots in the region.

The passage of time without coordination and action, “gives terrorism more opportunities to set a foothold and recruit new members in preparation for another wave of terrorism in the region,” the center said.

Forget for a moment Al Qaida “sinking roots in the region.” This has been known for quite some time. Al Qaida, as a whole, has proven it is all but crippled to launch attacks outside of their areas of operation. There have been attacks outside of their sphere of influence including some of the more publicized attacks, but the vast majority occur in the Middle East into Africa and SE Asia where the group has a fairly substantial foothold. Of course the target of said attacks are stated as the government which support certain policies or other nations, but the overwhelming carnage usually consists of fellow Muslims.

Does this relative failure of Al Qaida to attack outside of regions where they do not have many members and potentially at least some popular support say something about the organization as a whole? If you believe not, it should. It should tell people the group has been even further contricted by policies and military action against the terrorist group. Prior to the invasion of Afghanistan, attacks were seperated by thousands of miles and varied. Afterwards attacks have gone up, but the percentage of attacks outside of a defined and centralized hub have skyrocketed whereas attacks outside of this circle have gone down tremendously in comparison.

What about the nation which has experienced the highest increase in terrorist attacks, Iraq?

“Despite all the regional disputes over Iraq, it must be agreed that defeating al-Qaida is an Arab and Islamic goal… . The result of the battle against terrorism in Iraq is linked to stability in the Middle East,” the report said.

That is exactly what we here at ITB have been saying for months now. Al Qaida does not just want to topple the United States, it would actually be a toppling of the U.S. through secondary means. It wants to create a Caliphate where there is no Saudi Arabia, no Iraq, no Iran, no United Arab Emirates, etc.

While Iran is pursuing its own nuclear program and North Korea is known to have aided other nations in nuclear technology, not to mention China and Russia aiding Iran, the IAEA reports “increase in illicit trafficking in and unauthorized activities with nuclear and other radioactive materials in 2003-2004.”

Countries reported 121 incidents to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2004, according to new statistics from the agency’s Illicit Trafficking Database (ITDB).

One case, the Vienna-based agency said, involved weapon-grade material. Conceding that the majority of the incidents reported by States showed no criminal activity, the IAEA warned that in the hands of terrorists or criminals, some radioactive sources could be used for malicious purposes, for example in a radiological dispersal device or “dirty war.”

This news comes at the same time Ukraine announced it found radioactive material stolen from Chernoble one decade ago.

Iran’s threats to resume its already restarted nuclear program if the IAEA processes a resolution to the United Nations Security Council, a resolution which the IAEA voted in favor for, have fallen on deaf ears and rightfully so. How can a nation threaten to do something it is already doing and expect results? The simple answer is that it can’t, but that has not stopped Iran from creating laws forbidding the nation to deal with the IAEA.

Iran’s parliament voted on Wednesday to speed discussion of a bill that would force the government to scale back its cooperation with the UN atomic watchdog, state media reported.

The bill to limit the scope of nuclear inspections is in retaliation for a resolution approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board of governors last week recommending Iran’s case be sent to the UN Security Council.

If approved, the bill would oblige the government to stop implementing the Additional Protocol of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) which allows UN inspectors to make short-notice visits to nuclear facilities.

Is this what Iran warned about? Legal moves to keep the IAEA out of Iran? It appears so, but it also looks like they want to go down the same path as other nations which have shunned the international community. For those other nations, things were not so great.

Hah! Sometimes some statements by Al Qaida need very little comment. This is one of those times.

“A news flash which reached us a short time ago from the Qatari TV channel Al Jazeera,” the ‘news reader’ says, “reports that the Spanish court has processed our brother Taysir Allouni, sentencing him to seven years in prison, and for this reason Sout al-Khalifa has issued a statement on the Internet in which it strongly condemns this action by the Spanish infidel crusader court against the Muslim journalist Taysir Allouni, correspondent of Qatar’s Al Jazeera TV. The statement offers complete solidarity with our brother Allouni for the injustice he has suffered in the course of his work.”

The newsreader also praised Allouni for the “truth and neutrality” of his reporting.

This was the second segment of the Al Qaida Internet news broadcast entitled ‘Voice of the Caliphate.’ Should we really listen to a member of Al Qaida, the same group which regularly just makes things up, regarding whether or not Alouni reports the truth? Heh.

Chief Justice John Roberts was confirmed with a Senate vote of 78-22. That means every Senator was actually at the hearing. I want to give a special thank you to Senator John Kerry for making it to the vote. We all know it’s often difficult for him to show up for work.

So who voted against Roberts?

Akaka, Hawaii; Bayh, Ind.; Biden, Del.; Boxer, Calif.; Cantwell, Wash.; Clinton, N.Y.; Corzine, N.J.; Dayton, Minn.; Durbin, Ill.; Feinstein, Calif.; Harkin, Iowa; Inouye, Hawaii; Kennedy, Mass.; Kerry, Mass.; Lautenberg, N.J.; Mikulski, Md.; Obama, Ill.; Reed, R.I.; Reid, Nev.; Sarbanes, Md.; Schumer, N.Y.; Stabenow, Mich.

Yep, the usual suspects along with several Democratic hopefuls for President in 2008 as described earlier on this site that they would do so to appeal to their base. Senator Barbara Boxer appeared on Fox News to discuss the next nominee and, just as she always does, appealed for partisan bickering to stop. Of course she voted against Roberts who filled the role of Chief Justice William Rhenquist, a staunch conservative.

Roberts is not necessarily a staunch conservative either, therefore it is reasonable to believe Conservatives gave up a little headway with the Roberts nomination. This will never be enough to please the Boxers of the world who vote one way, take cheap partisan shots on every occassion but appear on television and talk about how the cheap shots need to stop.

My Welch’s Grape nearly went through my nose during her interview.

The Right Nation linked with Roberts: 78-22. Next one, please
Unpartisan.com Political News and Blog Aggregator linked with Senate Set To Vote On Roberts

A big win for the New York Times (who loves writing about Abu Ghraib) along with the ACLU and a loss for the Bush Administration, via the AP:

NEW YORK — Pictures of detainee abuse at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison must be released despite government claims that they could damage America’s image, a judge ruled Thursday.

U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein ordered the release of certain pictures, saying terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan have proven they “do not need pretexts for their barbarism.”

The American Civil Liberties Union sought the release of 87 photographs and four videotapes as part of an October 2003 lawsuit demanding information on the treatment of detainees in U.S. custody and the transfer of prisoners to countries known to use torture. The ACLU contends that prisoner abuse is systemic.

“Our nation does not surrender to blackmail, and fear of blackmail is not a legally sufficient argument to prevent us from performing a statutory command,” the judge wrote in his 50-page decision. “Indeed, the freedoms that we champion are as important to our success in Iraq and Afghanistan as the guns and missiles with which our troops are armed.”

If these photos and videos are made public, be ready for “Abu Ghraib, all the time” in the MSM.

Update (Chad):
Will protestors now be holding up signs saying “Hellerstein Gave in and Soldiers Died?” Of course not, but this ruling will set back the GWOT. If Hellerstein failed to grasp the rationale of the defense that the releasing of the pictures would put soldiers in harms way, he has yet to see even one Al Qaida recruiting video or read one communique from the group. In every single video that is not just of a roadside bomb or mysterious mortar launch, the group mentions Abu Graib often with pictures to accompany the wording.

Why the ACLU chose to pursue this case is another factor all together. It certainly is disgraceful that such abuse did go on, but it is almost just as disgraceful that an American organization sued for the release of images that in the long haul will end up killing Americans and restricting the same civil liberties in which the ACLU pretends to be the champions there of.

SactoDan Blog linked with Judge Orders Release of More Abu Graib Photos
Unpartisan.com Political News and Blog Aggregator linked with Judge: Release Abu Ghraib Photos

Iraqi Businesses See Better Times Ahead

(CNSNews.com) - A new poll shows Iraqi businesses are optimistic about the country’s future. Seventy-seven percent of respondents said they anticipated economic growth over the next two years and 69 percent described themselves as “optimistic” about Iraq’s general economic future. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) commissioned the poll, which was conducted by Zogby International. The poll was based on interviews with more than 600 Iraqi business owners and managers in five cities: Baghdad, Hilla, Basra, Arbil, and Kirkuk. “Business confidence in Iraq is being driven by a sense of opportunity,” said John Sullivan, CIPE’s executive director. “The Iraqi economy has been rebounding, and private businesses see many opportunities to grow their firms. A significant number of businesses are reporting plans to hire more employees and to invest in order to build on this sense of economic progress and growth.” The poll also found a substantial rise in the employment of women.

You won’t hear this on the mainstream news casts.

Shabbir Ahmed, 38, the former Lodi Islamic spiritual leader who was arrested on immigration violations during a federal terror probe in Lodi, California arrived in his home country of Pakistan. Ahmed was among five men netted in a federal investigation into suspected terrorist links within the Lodi, California Muslim community. Ahmed and another Lodi imam, Mohammad Adil Khan, and Khan’s son, Mohammad Hassan Adil were arrested on immigration offenses and also eventually agreed to be deported. Unsurprisingly, Khan and his son arrived in the eastern Pakistan city and Islamic hotbed of terrorists of Lahore in mid-August and reportedly were questioned by that country’s authorities before being allowed to go home to Karachi.

Ahmed was escorted by immigration officers back to Pakistan last Friday on a commercial flight, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Virginia Kice. The announcement was made Monday.

Here

Ronald E. Le Fevre said in a statement that Ahmed’s “removal sends a strong message that Immigration and Customs Enforcement will continue to use every tool at its disposal to preserve the integrity of our immigration system and prevent foreign nationals from conducting activities within our borders that pose a threat to this country.”
…
The Lodi group of men suspected of plotting terrorism inside the U.S. are now free in their native country, living again among Islamic fundamentalists and unencumbered by scrutiny of U.S. federal authorities. Like many who have been released from Guantanamo Bay, it is likely that they will again pop back up on the radar screen, continuing their Islamic terrorism agenda to kill non-Muslims. After all, there is the old saying that a leopard does not change its spots.

I think this is just crazy to deport these people. Shouldn’t they be tried and inprisoned so they cannot cause us harm? It seems obvious to me.

For the life of me I cannot understand why reports such as the one reproduced below garner much press attention. Furthermore, similar reports in the United States draw the ire of several people whom obviously have very little military understanding.

Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force has drawn up a detailed plan in preparation for any invasion by China, the Asahi Shimbun reported Monday. In the top-secret defense document drawn up by Army headquarters, Japan designates North Korea, China and Russia as military threats.

According to the plan, the threat of an invasion by North Korea exists, the threat from China slight and from Russia very slight. The paper said the possibility of terrorist attacks was also rated slight. Japan in the past designated any invasions from the three countries “Crisis X,” “Y” and “Z.” The 2003-2004 plan is the first by Japan to draw up a detailed response to an invasion from China, the daily reported.

It is extremely common for nations to have attack and defense plans for a variety of nations. Following World War I, England had a plan to attack the United States and defend from a U.S. invasion. The United States has a plan for Mexico now. Neither mean any such war will ever take place, but that is what some in the military are paid to do; write contingency plans just in case.

Now what is interesting about this scenario as reported, assuming it is factual, is that Japan has placed a higher emphasis on North Korea than China. China, after all, has led its citizens through the gambit of demonizing Japan for years. Then again, the two nations are also key trading partners with each other and it appears the only nation on China’s ‘wish list’ is Taiwan. North Korea on the other hand is run by a maniacle dictator and frankly no one knows what he intends to do.

The Imam who wrote a book on how to beat your wife without leaving marks was ordered by a Spanish judge to read the Spanish constitution in order to “re-educate” himself.

The judge told Mohamed Kamal Mustafa, imam of a mosque in the southern resort of Fuengirola, to spend six months studying three articles of the constitution and the universal declaration of human rights.

Mr Kamal was sentenced to 15 months in jail and fined £1,500 last year after being found guilty of inciting violence against women. However, despite objections from Spain’s socialist government, a judge released him after 22 days in jail on condition that he undertake a re-education course.

A commission recommends that imams should speak Spanish and have a basic knowledge of human rights and Spanish law.

In his book Women in Islam, published four years ago, Kamal wrote that according to Islamic law, a disobedient wife could be beaten.

“The blows should be concentrated on the hands and feet using a rod that is thin and light so that it does not leave scars or bruises on the body,” he wrote.

Of course having a “basic knowledge of human rights” does not equate not advocating the beating of women and I would presume this Imam’s religious beliefs that it is right to beat women will override anything he reads in the document. Nevertheless, it might do some good, however I still believe this may have the adverse effect the judge in this case is hoping for.