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Blogger's Reading this Morning

Asharq Alawsat
Congratulations Iran : Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed Iran has tested a new missile off the coasts of the Gulf States, bragging it ... more

Iran Tests Second New Torpedo in GulfTEHRAN, Iran, AP -Iran successfully tested its second new torpedo in as many days Monday, the latest weapon to be unveiled during war games in the Gulf that the military said are aimed at preparing the country's defenses against the United States. A ... more

Arab News
Website Launches Campaign to Spread Prophet’s MessageP.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News
JEDDAH, 5 April 2006 — Al-Islam Group, a Jeddah-based cultural organization, plays a significant role in the propagation of Islam by removing misconceptions about the religion through its websites.... Full Story

Iran News
Iran warns “enemies” of consequences of aggression Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Apr. 03 – Senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) warned the West on Monday that any attack on Iran would have dire consequences for the aggressors.

IslamOnline
America Censors Critical Professors - isn't it amazing!

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Danish Muslims start to speak out: Arise and Protest

AGORA is back! Read Naser Khader in English, read Danish Muslim Ibrahim Ramadan defending Khader, attacking the Islamists.

If all Western countries stood up for freedom of faith, we would finally see the sensible Muslims come out in the open. Then suddenly Islam is no problem.

Fight the Islamists. Go read AGORA.

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Blogger's Reading this Morning

Asharq Alawsat
Political Clashes in Egypt Injure 23 CAIRO, Egypt, AP -The third-place finisher in Egypt's presidential elections last year was arrested Saturday after his supporters clashed with a rival faction of his political party in a fight over the party headquarters. The 10-hour clash was part ... more Check in on Freedom for Egyptians on this one

Hamas says it has met French, Indian officialsTEHRAN (Reuters) -A Hamas spokesman said on Monday Hamas members held talks two months ago with French officials and more recently with an Indian diplomat despite U.S. and Israeli efforts to isolate the Islamic militant group. "Meetings were held ... more

Arab News
Products of Danish Dairy Company Return to Supermarket ShelvesM. Ghazanfar Ali Khan, Arab News
RIYADH, 4 April 2006 — Products of the Danish dairy conglomerate Arla Foods, maker of the popular Lurpak brand butter, will be back on the supermarket shelves in Saudi Arabia from tomorrow. Abdullah... Full Story

IslamOnline
N. American Youths Launch Know Prophet Campaign Oh Happy Day ...

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Iranian Missiles: Noise of Empty Wessels?

Is Iran simply bragging? And if so, why?

Iran March 31st proudly announced the launching of a Fajr-3 - Victory in Farsi - "stealth missile" , allegedly ranging more than 1250 miles, invisible to radar and carrying multiple warheads.

Few days later came the submarine stealth missile. The Islamic Republic claimed to have "developed the world’s “fastest underwater missile” which could destroy both battleships and submarines."

Today they announced the planned firing of a brand new torpedo, again a stealth thing of allegedly enormous speed and range.

Add to this the ongoing nuclear armament and the unhidden desire to become an Islamic world power, - and we all end up with the picture of Nazi-Germany during the late thirties.

October 2005, Telegraph's Con Coughlin wrote this:

"Former members of the Russian military have been secretly helping Iran to acquire technology needed to produce missiles capable of striking European capitals.

The Russians are acting as go-betweens with North Korea as part of a multi-million pound deal they negotiated between Teheran and Pyongyang in 2003. It has enabled Teheran to receive regular clandestine shipments of top secret missile technology, believed to be channelled through Russia.

Western intelligence officials believe that the technology will enable Iran to complete development of a missile with a range of 2,200 miles, capable of hitting much of Europe. It is designed to carry a 1.2-ton payload, sufficient for a basic nuclear device. "

And now, half a year later, Iran announces the Fajr-3 with a range beyond 1250 miles. Is this the missile technology from Russia that Telegraph warned of? Iran at least would like us to think so.

But is it the real picture? Are we heading for war with Iran - as the US and UK military apparently and, it seems, with just cause prepare for preventive strikes?

However, there seems to be good reason to doubt the Iranian skills in the area. Maybe all the missiles were in fact delivered by the Russians as test missiles, maybe by the Chinese, - at least experts are cautious about the Iranian bragging.

Security Watchtower writes on the stealth thing:

"Uzi Rubin, an Israeli missile expert and former director of Israel’s Arrow missile defense program expressed doubts about the claim of the "new missile", saying "the description does not match the picture" shown on television. Rubin instead says the description of the new missile "fits almost word-for-word the way the Russians describe the Iskander-E (SS26), with one exception -- the Russians don’t claim the capability to ‘hit several targets’."

The same goes for the stealth submarine thing:

"The Iranian military did not name the "new" weapon or give its effective range, but again there are serious questions about whether Iran's $ 9 billion defense budget and defense industry could produce such a weapon indingenously. Like the doubts raised about Iran's development of an invisible missile with multiple warheads, this "new" torpedo is likely a Russian-made VA-111 Shkval, which travels at 230 mph, has a range of 7,500 yards and is primarily used in a defensive counter-attack role. China is believed to have purchased 40 of the torpedos from Russia during the 1990s, though this remains unconfirmed. In the event Russia did sell this high tech weaponry to Iran, and not just allow them to use one in a test, it would be alarming."

So what to make of it? Does Iran want to get bombed? Is it a way to raise the terror hell against the Western countries? Are we deluded by some cunning Iranian logic, closely linked to the logic of al Qaeda?

I don't know, - but I wouldn't take the chance.

If they have more than the one missile fired, and if they have nuclear capabilities, we end up with a new North Korea, - yet far more aggressive.

Arab papers have intensified their anti Semitism lately; Hamas is in control in the Palestine territory; the madmen in Teheran daily cry out their hate to the Jews and the state of Israel, - and - provided the double-if - they will be able to nuke them.

I wouldn't take the risk.

Want to read more? Check in on Security Watchtower. Check FAS for detailed coverage of the technical aspects of the missile programme . Check NIT for the history of Iran's missile ambitions.

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Blogger's Reading this Morning

TF1 /JyllandsPosten / ritzau:
Statues banned by highest Islam scholar in Egypt
Highest ranking Egypt grand mufti, Ali Gomaa, has issued a fatwa calling exibition of statues in private homes "unislamic". His ruling is based on the Hadith: as Muhammed returned to Mekka after his 10 years stay in Medina, he ordered the statues at the Kabala destroyed. More in French ..

Who is Ali Gomaa? A respectfull portrait in Al Ahram, a critical one in Atlantic Online.

Freedom for Egyptians
Al Wafd party headquarters stormed
The Egyptian liberal Al Wafd party headquarters in Dokki was stormed yesterday by the 71 year old disposed leader and last September presidential runner Nomaan Gomaa with 60 armed thugs and gang members. .. more from Freedom for Egyptians, whos asks the question if blood must be shed to introduce democracy.. Background from Al Ahram here

Asharq alAwsat
Hamas government vows to end armed chaos GAZA CITY (AFP) - Palestinian interior minister Said Siam has vowed that his Hamas-led government would put an end to impunity and armed chaos after three people were killed in clashes between rival militants. "We will ensure that nobody is above ... more

IslamOnline
Dutch Authorities Ignore Racist Websites
Apparantly some Dutch site showing the cartoons has offended Dutch so called Human Rights activists, even an MP. Dhimmi, dhimmi, dhimmi ...

And that's about it ..

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Blogger's Reading this Morning

Yemen Observer:
The Yemen Observer Fights On
By Staff Editor Apr 1, 2006 - The Yemen Observer license has been revoked, and hard copies of the newspaper are banned. Private prosecutors have made a series of extreme and irrational demands, from calling for the editor Mohammed Al-Asadi to be executed, to be prevented from ever practicing journalism again. They have demanded the newspaper be closed permanently, and its assets seized. More ..

Asharq al-Awsat:
Afghan clerics say West meddled in convert case MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghan clerics blamed meddling foreigners on Friday for the release of a Christian convert who they said should be executed for abandoning Islam. The convert, Abdur Rahman, was spirited out of Afghanistan ... more

Bush offers quake aid to Iran, but warns Tehran on nuclear issue WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States offered aid to Iran after a devastating earthquake but also kept up pressure over Tehran's disputed nuclear programme. President George W. Bush made a point of offering sympathy and assistance while at a North ... more

IslamOnline:
French Muslims Get Grand Mosque Hadi Yahmid, IOL Correspondent PARIS, April 1, 2006 - French Muslims in the southeastern city of Villeurbanne will no longer be crammed into vault prayer rooms or perform the weekly Friday prayer in the open as a grand mosque, accommodating 1,000 worshipers, opens its doors on Sunday, April 2. More ..

Arab News:
King Vows to Press Ahead With Reforms Raid Qusti, Arab News RIYADH, 2 April 2006 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah said here yesterday that the “Kingdom cannot remain frozen while the world is changing around us,” and vowed to move ahead with... Full Story

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Danish MP Naser Khader declares war on Islamism

Sunday morning, all papers and media:

Naser Khader of Democratic Muslims yesterday declared war on Islamism in Denmark, defining his goal: to become minister of integration.

Quote from Berlingske: “Because I’m their worst nightmare.” Because I understand what they say, because I know their ideology and their agenda.”

Quote from JyllandsPosten: “We are up against a strong conservative, antidemocratic force, that have launched a massive campaign against us.”

Naser Khader and his Democratic Muslims have received a massive number of death threats, individuals have been physically attacked by Danish Islamists and in general the Muslim societies in Denmark are hesitating to back them up, accusing Naser Khader of splitting the Muslims.

Naser Khader belongs to the opposition party De Radikale, which is a social-liberal party, traditionally known to be very friendly towards immigration. The normally define their worst enemy to be DDP, Danish Peoples Party. Naser Khader stated that DDP is “water compared to the Islamists”.

Naser Khader is extremely popular across politcal parties in Denmark.

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