US – Features

It’s about changing Islam, not dealing with real causes of Muslim anger

The government should stop trying to "engineer" a so-called moderate form of Islam and pay more attention to other factors leading to ‘violent extremism’ says a report published today by the UK parliament’s communities and local government select committee. The report on the British government’s flagship Prevent strategy which is said to target ‘radicalisation’ and the causes of ‘terrorism’ also says that the Prevent programme has "stigmatised and alienated" British Muslims. Prevent enjoys broad approval from all main political parties.

Taji Mustafa, media representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain said, “This report exposes what we have been saying for years. That the government is trying to create a secular westernised government friendly Islam based on the false premise that Islam causes terrorism.”

Read More »Mps expose prevent

(source: YNet News)

Belgian of Palestinian descent, together with 13 Gaza Strip residents, files case in Brussels court against 14 Israeli leaders and officers

After similar circumstances last week prompted the last-minute cancellation of Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s trip to Paris, another court case was filed against the Barak and a series of other senior Israeli officials for alleged war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip during Operation Cast Lead.

Among those targeted in the suit are Opposition Chairwoman Tzipi Livni, who also has an arrest warrant out against her in Britain for her role as foreign minister during the Gaza offensive, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai, and other Israelis in the IDF and Israel’s intelligence services.

Read More »War crimes suit filed against barak livni in belgium

Al Aqsa Foundation Media Release – 2 July 2010

The Al Aqsa Foundation of South Africa (AFSA) was shocked to read various scurrilous allegations against the organisation in The Times newspaper of Tuesday, 29 June 2010. The newspaper article reported that the allegations emanate from the website of the US Treasury Department. The Times further claims that AFSA is the “latest South African organisation to be blacklisted”, and quotes the website as stating that AFSA was part of the “Hamas terrorist infrastructure”.

In fact, the spurious allegations against AFSA by the US Treasury Department were made seven years ago, in 2003, and have been found by various authorities – including the South African government – to have no basis whatsoever, and cannot be substantiated either by the newspaper or any US government department.

The Al Aqsa Foundation of South Africa is a South African organisation, registered with the Department of Social Development as a non-profit organisation (NPO), and with the South African Revenue Services as a public benefit organisation (PBO). Its sole purpose is to address the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people, particularly Palestinian orphans.

The organisation has determinedly remained committed to this agenda and has an impressive track record in this regard.  It is not part of any other organisation outside of South Africa (whether humanitarian or political), and operates purely as a South African institution, guided by the South African Constitution and South African legislation.

Read More »Terror allegations against south African charity are stalespurious shameful

Israel knows that peace just doesn’t pay 
By Amira Hass

Successive Israeli governments since 1993 certainly must have known what they were doing, being in no hurry to make peace with the Palestinians. As representatives of Israeli society, these governments understood that peace would involve serious damage to national interests.

Economic damage:

The security industry is an important export branch – weapons, ammunition and refinements that are tested daily in Gaza and the West Bank. The Oslo process – negotiations that were never meant to end – allowed Israel to shake off its status as occupying power (obligated to the welfare of the occupied people) and treat the Palestinian territories as independent entities. That is, to use weapons and ammunition at a magnitude Israel could not have otherwise used on the Palestinians after 1967. Protecting the settlements requires constant development of security, surveillance and deterrence equipment such as fences, roadblocks, electronic surveillance, cameras and robots. These are security’s cutting edge in the developed world, and serve banks, companies and luxury neighborhoods next to shantytowns and ethnic enclaves where rebellions must be suppressed. 

Read More »Israel knows that peace just doesnt pay