FIRE WITH FIRE

Did you really expect anything out of the UN when it comes to pressing Iran on its nuclear policy? Did you really think that when the UN gives a deadline it means anything to anybody, specially Iran?

Well this article tells about how the UN has just watered down its own declaration and has now even extended the deadline for Iran to respond on its nuclear enrichment program now to August 31.

Iran has been posturing all along that it was not going to play the UN's game and now it has just bought an extension which it will probably ignore as well. Let me see, where did we also see this game played with the UN, was it Iraq maybe, possibly on the topic of weapons of mass destruction? Hmm, looks to me like Iraqi Redux!

On hearing about the new "deadline" for action Iran responded:

Iran immediately rejected the council action, saying the resolution would
only make negotiations more difficult over a package of incentives offered in
June for it to suspend enrichment.

Because of Russian and Chinese demands, the text of the resolution was watered down from earlier drafts. Now, instead of starting sanctions right away at the August 31 deadline to force compliance, the UN has to "talk" about the issue some more. Well, we all know what that leads to don't we... no resolution, no solution, just talk!

The situation in the UN has gotten ridiculous. This once proud international entity has become a ghost of its former glory and is now so inept at solving international crisis's that it is a joke to ask for its help.

Do you really think that the UN will force Iran to dissolve their nuclear enrichment program? If they ever even decide to take forceful action, it will only be after Iran has already bought all the time that it needed to create and test their first nuclear bomb.

This clarification just in...it appears that the previous date to respond by July 31 wasn't a fully legal UN date, it was simply a request. The August 31 date is a "legal demand" from the UN security council with a threat of action. Do you think that Iran is going to pay attention to the semantics in either case?

Posted by The Watcher at Monday, July 31, 2006 | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

Syria is getting ready...

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told the Syrian military on Monday to
raise its readiness, pledging not to abandon support for Lebanese resistance
against Israel.

You can read the full article from Reuters on Yahoo.

I knew that it would only be a matter of time before Syria started posturing itself to come to Lebanon's aid. Iraq already stated as much on Saturday, and that their troops were getting ready.

The Syrian President has weighed in saying:

"The barbaric war of annihilation the Israeli aggression is waging on our
people in Lebanon and Palestine is increasing in ferocity".

Although troops are not massed at the border, the situation in the Middle East is becoming more intense and players are lining up on both sides.

It appears that hardening of positions has occurred as sympathies have been raise worldwide with the attack on civilians by the Israeli forces by accident in Qana. The US has finally called for a ceasefire, but at this point, Israel is still holding firm to their position and readying additional ground troops. It does not appear that the US position of desiring a ceasefire is making any difference.

I fear that the strife and political positioning that has occurred and is occurring right now by states in the Middle East will only increase the level of violence that is already directed at the Israelis countrywide.

Posted by The Watcher at Monday, July 31, 2006 | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

Condoleezza Rice is coming home on Monday. The American administration has decided that she can broker an agreement from Washington DC. That remains to be seen.

I, on the other hand, feel that she will never be able to broker an agreement on the Lebanese/Israeli issue without addressing the issues on Palestine in tandem. By not addressing this important Middle Eastern concern, she simply does not have leverage or political capital in that region to force Israel and Hezbollah to the table.

Palestine/Israeli relations are a very hot topic with countries in the Middle East and many Muslims have sympathies that run deep in regard to Israeli treatment of the PLO and Hamas leadership. By the US not addressing these specifically and by not strongly encouraging the Israelis to get back to the bargaining table with Palestine officials, Condeleezza is inflaming the already difficult situation further.

Based on the Iraqi situation and strong ties to Israel, the US is just not considered an objective party that could effectively broker a settlement that the greater Middle East would consider fair to Hezbollah. France or the UN needs to take pro-active leadership in this area at this point. Negotiations may be more successful with their intervention. A US brokered plan will never be taken seriously and will only cause additional polarization and hardening of political positions in the Middle East based on our current interests in Iraq and close relationship with Israel.

Posted by The Watcher at Sunday, July 30, 2006 | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

Could this be? This just came live across the Internet.

The Basij and Revolutionary Guards should prepare to get even with the
Zionists and Americans," Yahya Rahim-Safavi was quoted as telling Islamic
militiamen by the conservative Fars news agency.

The Basij and Revolutionary Guards are directly answerable to Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Are we headed toward World War III? Iran needs to stay out of this battle and not escalate tensions that are already being felt across the region. If Iran does send analysts, consultants, or even troops and if these actions can be directly attributable to them, then we are in for a Shi'a, Sunni, Israeli war.

Americans do not understand the feelings of brotherhood that the Muslim community (umma) share with each other. For many in this region, and for that matter worldwide, the loyalty lies first with the religion and second with the country. So when Muslims in the region feel that brothers are being attacked on the behalf of the faith, it is their holy duty to rise up and take up arms to stand by them.

The stakes are getting higher with this news and it does not bode well for any diplomatic resolution.

Posted by The Watcher at Sunday, July 30, 2006 | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

This little sidebar article talks about Iran's move to remove Americanized and Anglicized words from the Iranian vernacular. Although this is not earth shattering news, it is just one more telling action of Iranian leadership in an effort to purify their language and society from any Western and particularly English or American influences.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ordered government and cultural bodies to use modified Persian words to replace foreign words that have crept into the language, such as "pizzas" which will now be known as "elastic loaves"

We have seen this language purification action happen years before in France, but now with globalization, the perception of this particular action taken by the Iranians in light of all other world events smacks of anti-Americanism.

In the meantime, I'll just need to go to my "small room" [cabin] in the woods and eat my "elastic loaf" [pizza] alone.

Posted by The Watcher at Saturday, July 29, 2006 | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

Can we just not get this right! The US is already ostracized by the world community and now is heavily paying the toll for "Cowboy Politics" and the "we'll do it ourselves" approach in Iraq both in soldiers' lives and in cash. Now we have to add fuel to the fire by legitimizing Bush's poor choice for UN Ambassador. This guy is too controversial. He is not perceived by the world community as a team player. He is even perceived by American politicians as brash, overly aggressive, and besides that he doesn't know how to play nice with others.

"Several Democrats said during the nomination hearing Thursday that their
views had not changed, citing reports that Bolton has alienated other
ambassadors and failed to make progress on U.N. reform efforts."

"Bolton, once described by colleagues as a bully who led witch hunts to
punish colleagues who disagreed with him, struck a conciliatory tone before the
committee.

"Bolton said he had established "good working relationships" with other
U.N. members and was making progress, telling the senators, "I have done my best
to work with others to advance our national interests."

In Bolton's own paraphrased words, I'm trying to play nice with other UN members. We do not need a person in the UN who has to work on rebuilding his personal image and personal relationships first. We need someone who is respected by the world community now!

Countries in the Middle East think that the US is on a colonialization drive and only interested in their oil reserves, we are already behind the eight ball. We need someone in the UN who portrays "real America." Someone whose personae illustrates, without a PR campaign, an attitude of caring about people and issues, someone who is not afraid to offer guidance that others will actually take notice of because of their impeccable character and history for fairness and wisdom on all issues. What we don't need is someone whose reputation is already damaged and has to try to convince others in the UN and Congress first that he is a "good guy" and should be be the UN American mouthpiece to the world.

Bush got Bolton into the UN surreptitiously months ago when Congress was out of session and now Congress is holding the actual hearings to decide if he should stay. Come on, this guy has got to go! There is so much at stake in the world that we need a consensus builder in the UN now.

We need a person who is respected for fairness and even handedness. We need a world-player who can reach out to the European community and try to mend the fences that have been trampled on. We need a strong individual who does not have a biased reputation for being a part of the President's inner circle and an already questionable reputation.

This is just another gaffe in the Bush foreign policy that is continuing to fuel feelings of discontent and resentment worldwide with America as a world leader. We have lost so much political clout in the last year that we really need a star, someone that both sides of the Washington political fence think is above reproach.

Read this article for more information on the Bolton approval process happening now.

Posted by The Watcher at Saturday, July 29, 2006 | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

This is a very interesting article that was sent to us by a viewer and we felt that it was important enough to post. Here is the article in its entirety.

Judgement Day from the New York Sun

By Yehudit BarskyJuly 28, 2006

With the international community focused on Iran's quest to develop nuclear weapons, little attention has been paid to Tehran's preparations for a possible showdown with America and its allies. For more than a year, Iran has been preparing, together with terror organizations it controls and finances, for a confrontation code-named "Al-Qiyamah," which is Arabic for "Judgment Day." Hezbollah's unprovoked war against Israel may well be the first step in this Iranian-inspired conflict.

Leading this war effort is Brigadier General, Qassam Sulaymani, who heads the Al-Quds "Jerusalem" Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards. Based in Tehran, the Al-Quds Force is considered responsible for having trained thousands of operatives from Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad. Now Sulaymani has been tasked with coordinating and providing logistical support to the terror organizations that will execute Iran's plans for a confrontation.The plan reportedly includes suicide bombing attacks on America and British targets in the Middle East as well as on Arab and Muslim countries allied with the West.

Participants in Iran's "Judgment Day" plans include Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hezbollah cells in Europe, North America, the Persian Gulf region, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the leaders of Iraq's insurgency, and the Mahdi Army of Iraq's Muqtada Al-Sadr. Iran's Revolutionary Guards also have reportedly invited operatives from the Mahdi Army to be trained in Iran and have increased its funding to Al-Sadr to over $20 million.

Although Hezbollah is identified as a Lebanese terrorist organization, it was originally created in Iran following the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Representatives of Iran's Revolutionary Guards were sent to create Hezbollah cells in Lebanon and other countries with large Shi'a populations, including Western countries.

Mojtaba Bigdeli, a spokesman for Hezbollah in Iran, recently threatened to carry out attacks globally. "We have 2,000 volunteers who have registered since last year. They have been trained and they can become fully armed. We are ready to dispatch them to every corner of the world to jeopardize Israel and America's interests," said Bigdeli. "We are only waiting for the Supreme Leader's green light to take action. If America wants to ignite World War Three ... we welcome it."

Meanwhile, Iran has accelerated its supply of arms to Hezbollah during the past few months, sending rockets, missiles, explosives, and guided missiles to the terror group's bases in Lebanon. Hezbollah's arsenal of artillery today ranges from the relatively small Katyusha rockets which carry an 18-pound warhead packed with high explosives, Arash rockets which carry 40 pounds of explosives, to the Fajr 3 "Dawn" missile which carries 100 pounds of explosives, the Fajr 5 missile, which carries 200 pounds of explosives, and the Zilzal 2 "Earthquake" missile, with a warhead of more than 1300 pounds. Hezbollah also has been equipped with four types of surface-to-surface missiles.

More than 3,000 Hezbollah operatives went to Iran to be trained in military tactics, including guerrilla warfare, firing missiles, and artillery, the operation of unmanned aerial drones, conventional warfare, and marine warfare. Iran's outfitting of Hezbollah with military grade weapons over the past six years has transformed it into a militarized terror organization with offensive capabilities resembling that of a state.

In tandem with its continued efforts to push for the legitimacy of its nuclear weapons program on the diplomatic front, Iran has been open about its support for Hezbollah. In a recent interview with the Arabic daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, an Iranian official stated: "Hezbollah is part of us and does not need guarantees to be certain the Islamic Republic is with it. We are standing with the Party, in spirit and physically, militarily and financially."

Iran has bluntly expressed its intentions toward America and Israel. In a military parade held in September 2005, during "Sacred Defense Week," Iran flaunted the latest versions of ballistic missiles produced by its military including the Zilzal 1 and 2. The namesake of this missile is a verse in the Qur'an that tells of the final earthquake that precipitates Judgment Day. The missiles were emblazoned with the slogans: "We will trample America under our feet," "Israel should be wiped off the map," "Death to America," and "Death to Israel."

Based on Iran's public statements and Hezbollah's opening salvo of rockets and missiles over Israel's northern border, this appears to be only the beginning of Iran's "Judgment Day" plans. We would be wise to take them at their word.

Ms. Barsky is the director of the Division on Middle East and International Terrorism at the American Jewish Committee.

Posted by The Watcher at Friday, July 28, 2006 | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

If you are looking for the comments posted to the Fire With Fire blog by Nasrallah Lebanon here's the direct link. Or you can visit the blog post titled "Israel & Lebanon -- Not a Border Skirmish!" and scroll to comments and then click the comments link to see the full lengthy text left by Nasrallah Lebanon.

Now I can not say for a fact that these comments are posted by the "real" Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon, but it the comments are very interesting reading. His comments to our post are a very candid look at the viewpoint embraced by many Muslim Extremists on the illegitimacy of Israel.

Again, this blog does not embrace the commenters' viewpoints, but rather is here to ignite conversation. Well, this one is a fire starter!

Posted by The Watcher at Friday, July 28, 2006 | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

That's it in a nutshell. Just like the children's game you sometime see at the fair or at a kid's game arcade -- it's the whack a mole. A mole pops out of a hole just as you whack another one on the head with a rubber mallet. The game speeds up and suddenly you are all over the place trying to whack moles, but they keep coming faster and faster. You just can't win!

Well, guess what, Islamic extremist warfare is just like that. You fight and think you have an area under control and then the enemy just disappears; melts into the crowd and resurfaces in another place hitting harder. Israel is experiencing the "whack a mole syndrome" right now in Lebanon. The US is fighting this same fight in Iraq and guess what, Americans fought the "whack a mole syndrome" battle in Viet Nam too. Rumsfeld even said it: "the harder we hit the behinder we get, right?" Right!

The Israel army even has a name for the "whack a mole" battle -- asymmetrical war fare. That means we (the Israelis) bring in tanks and heavy troops and try to smash out the enemy with overwhelming force, you (Hezbollah and Hamas) have light-weight guerilla fighters that are nimble, communicate with cell phones, make group decisions in the heat of the battle, and then melt into the population when feeling overwhelmed. The fight two days ago in Lebanon for the Hezbollah stronghold, Bint Jbeil,, in the south was a perfect example of a "whack a mole" battle.

Now Al Qaeda's deputy leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, said al-Qaeda would not stand by while "these [Israeli] shells burn our brothers" in Lebanon and Gaza.

"The war with Israel does not depend on ceasefires... It is a jihad for God's sake and will last until religion prevails ... from Spain to Iraq,"

"The entire world is an open battlefield for us and since they are attacking us everywhere, we will attack everywhere."

Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda second in command

Wow, "whack a mole" at its finest. This new style of urban guerilla war fare and aggressive rhetoric is enough to make your blood run cold. We just have to get a hold on these issues that are polarizing the Muslim community and creating strife between countries in the Middle East.

Unfortunately the US has squandered its political clout with Europeans and countries in the Middle East with the last six years of "Cowboy politics" and a "we'll go it alone attitude." Now is when we need a cohesive European coalition and honest credibility with countries in the Middle
East. We have so badly tarnished our own reputation as a world leader who advocates for all people, a leader in fairness and independence, and a leader in human rights. It is no wonder that worldwide countries are leery of getting on board with any ceasefire plans that Condoleezza Rice is trying to put together.

Posted by The Watcher at Friday, July 28, 2006 | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

Check out this link to see a visual picture on http://www.conceptwizard.com/ of where the bombs have hit in Israel. This is not a "border skirmish"! Israel is being hit by bombs from the Hezbollah deep inside their own territory. Over 90 cities have been hit just in the first week of this so called "border war." Hezbollah has launched over 780 missiles, just since July 12 to July 19. Now first, I have to ask, where does a local militia supposedly funded only by the Lebanese people, find the money to buy 780 missiles? This was just in the first seven days of the war!

Okay, let's get the money issue further clarified, if each missile fired in the first week alone of the war cost $2,000 each, and we all know that this figure is on the low side, that means $1,560,000 spent on materiel! Kind of incredible. If Hezbollah is really interested in the welfare of the Lebanese people, this serous amount of money could have been spent on helping people in Lebanon and not on bombing people in Israel.

While you are on http://www.conceptwizare.com/, make sure to read the interesting commentary from Israeli citizens at the bottom of the page. It is interesting to read the dialogue from a different perspective; one which is closer to the problem than some of us who are simply reading about the war around the world.

In the meantime, as I try to put the war into a personal perspective for greater understanding, I see that everyday people in Israel countrywide, must be living in fear. However, the general populace is resolute in the actions needed to protect their own present and future security. For all residents, their own home and city may be the next bombing location. Incursions are deep and not isolated to the border region or to even to military locations. Nazareth has even been bombed.

Israelis have had to live with the tension of terrorist attacks for years; that is horrible in itself. But now to wonder if a bomb will take out your home, your children's school, or even a hospital is even worse. I would think that the anxiety alone about this "border skirmish" would be enough to push some people over the edge. It appears that the Israeli people understand as terrible as this war seems, it is a fight on a higher level for long-term security for their country.

Does the world understand this? Today AlJazerra.net is full of commentary questioning the Israeli response -- it is proportionate and justified? They have interviewed the Hezbollah leader, Nazrallah who states that he will be spreading the war further. It is no wonder that Israel and many in the world community feel that Hezbollah must be removed from Lebanon.

My heart goes out to the people in Israel who are suffering in this war that has been started by a ridiculous power play by the Hezbollah; kidnapping soldiers and crossing the border in an overt act of aggression. The world seems to be divided on the war: Was it right?, Are the attacks proportionate?, Is it justified?, all while Israelis suffer and everyday innocent people are killed. It is important to remember that there are terrible casualties and families grieving in Israel too not just in Lebanon!

I think some of the biggest questions we should collectively ask at this point are: if Hezbollah is a militia for Lebanon and provides humanitarian aid to the Lebanese people, why is there not the outrage over the war started by Hezbollah from the general Lebanese population? Why are the Lebanese people not outraged at the rhetoric from Nazrallah and Hezbollah about destroying Israel? Why is the Lebanese population not questioning the vast sums of money spent on bombs? Why are the Lebanese people allowing Hezbollah to be the voice of Lebanon?

War is unfortunately about suffering, and there is serious suffering going on in Israel. The world must speak out against terrorist attacks and overt aggression caused by these terrorists in Lebanon.

Posted by The Watcher at Thursday, July 27, 2006 | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

Well, now we, the worldwide community, are really going to see how the American government views democracy in Iraq and in the greater Middle East for that matter. Is the American view of democracy in Iraq a popular democracy -- a reflection of the Iraqi people, or is the American view of democracy in Iraq a puppet democracy -- mouthpiece for American political views.

Just how far is America ready to let the Iraqi democracy take charge of its own affairs? Yesterday, there was an uproar in Washington DC about comments, or the lack of comments by the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki. Al-Maliki had gone to Washington DC to ask the American Congress and the American President, George Bush, for additional funding to try to subdue the spiraling out of control violence in his country. He did secure a pledge from President Bush to bolster US troops in Baghdad and he did ask the American Congress for more reconstruction aid.

His visit to the Congress was however marred by widespread political uproar as many refused to attend his address. The main disagreement centered on al-Maliki's refusal to back down from his critical comments on Israel's incursion into Lebanon and his lack of desire to denounce Hezbollah's killing and kidnapping of Israeli soldiers openly.

So now, America, this is the test. When the rightfully elected democratic leader does not voice or intone the message of the liberator, does this invalidate the process of democracy? Does this mean that America is only interested in setting up democracies that parrot their own world view, or is America willing to take the step to help foster real democracy and then step back and let the people govern and express world views internationally even when they do not match their own?

Posted by The Watcher at Thursday, July 27, 2006 | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

If you ever thought that the war in Lebanon was just politics, you need to watch this video by Joey Nasser on www.YouTube.com.

Sometimes we forget that what is happening in front of our eyes is affecting real people, real families, and innocents. There is no blood in this video clip, but what you will see is the beauty which was Lebanon and the devastation of the war. No, we do not advocate the message of the film maker, but we do realize that there are many factors at play in Lebanon right now.

What this video clip does is bring the war into real visual terms down on to a personal level for each viewer. It is hard not to be touched I have to say as I watched the clip that my heart goes out to people on both sides, in Lebanon and in Israel, for the destruction and devastation that they are experiencing. I do not know what I would do if this was my community and home that was at stake. Want to know and see the real meaning of war, it is in human suffering.

Condoleezza Rice is to go to Lebanon to try to broker a settlement to bring in outside NATO troops to try to calm down the fighting and to disarm Hezbollah, the independent militia, that is fighting this war with Israel. But, can a ceasefire or resolution be found? I think not. The split between the two combatants is so extreme that only a tenuous peace could be found, if any.

What do I think will happen? I think that the destruction to both sides will continue until an outrage point is found and then the world will step in. We will have a repeat of UN forces or in this case NATO forces policing the front in south Lebanon, which will simply allow for more guerilla violence as military targets will be closer at hand for Hezbollah to pick off. Eventually, Iran may use their influence with Hezbollah as a bargaining chip for favorable treatment on their nuclear policies. There are larger forces at play here than just who kidnapped a soldier.

This brings to mind just why is Hezbollah so important in Lebanon? Where is the popularly elected government? In the light of a void of leadership and action on behalf of the people, someone will step forward to fill it, this is what Hezbollah has done.

To try to understand why Hezbollah is so important to some regions of the Middle East, one must look very carefully at the regime in charge of the country. In Lebanon, Hezbollah provides relief to the general population in much the same manner that Hamas does in Palestine. They both provide support care to the population such as hospitals, clinics, monetary support, and other human social services. It is difficult for a population who has received "benefits" to rise up and strike at their benefactors. One way to stop this trend is for the mainstream government to step in and provide these services that the militias have been providing. This will turn the people's hearts from these militias that are funded from questionable sources. Lebanon must make inroads in improving their social support services as right now the general populace feels that Hezbollah is the only one who really cares about them on a human needs level.

It is terrible to watch the destruction and grief of everyday citizens as so much destruction is wrought. The answers seem elusive and the solutions seem thorny, but we must struggle to find them.

Posted by The Watcher at Tuesday, July 25, 2006 | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

"It is simply no longer possible to maintain that the United States is
winning the war on terror. The number of terrorists is growing, as is the
pool of people who may be moved to violence, and the means and know-how for carrying out attacks, including catastrophic ones, are becoming more readily
available."

The Next Attack The Failure of the War on Terror and a Strategy for
Getting It Right by Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon

The extremist jihad threat to everyday individuals is growing worldwide, but there one specific thing that can be done to mitigate this increasing trend right now. Something, that even you can do, right now in your own community. Offer the Muslims you know, and greater Muslim community, the respect and acceptance that they need and deserve. Only a small portion, albeit a growing one, is responsible for the violence that is caused by Islamic extremists. Most followers of Islam are peaceful, righteous, law-abiding citizens, who love their respective countries, and believe that suicide bombers and the violent Islamic extremists are acting outside of the teachings of the Qur'an (their sacred book).

One of the biggest draws to "the extremist jihad" side for many young Muslims is they feel that they and the umma (Muslim worldwide community) are being humiliated and not respected for their religious beliefs. Because of this feeling of humiliation and perceived lack of status in communities, the desire to embrace change is strong. Through internet discussion groups and local peer groups, sometimes the movement to take action to regain "their place in the world" has taken hold -- and a bloody hold it is. This has propelled some Muslims who are seeking to live in the purity of their faith, right into the arms of waiting terrorist recruiters, ready to shape this discourse further in their training camps.

Many Muslins have perceived the treatment of prisoners in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo as humiliating and as an overt act of atrocity against the greater Muslim community worldwide. The treatment of the Muslim's sacred book in some of these incidents, the Qur'an, has been downright shameful to non-believers, and horrific from the viewpoint of Islamic believers.

Add to this the atrocities perpetrated by a small number of American soldiers in Iraq against Muslim civilians and families, fanning more feelings of degradation and humiliation that are imprinted on the greater Islamic group. Then, add open discrimination against Muslim immigrants in numerous European countries, and we wonder why there is a current of discontent in the greater Muslim worldwide community in regard to acceptance and respect for their faith, religious tenants, and way of life.

We need to reach out to the Muslim community. We need to work together to insulate ourselves collectively and our countries from further violence. If we work to help empower the Muslim leaders of mosques, leaders of young Muslim focus groups, and other members of the faith to openly discuss these topics with their followers and members, while we work together to change patterns of discrimination and abuse, we can emerge together strengthened and with the common focus of peaceful coexistence.

Posted by The Watcher at Monday, July 24, 2006 | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

"I'm afraid we are seeing an increase in radicalization [of Islamic communities] in the Netherlands." Tjibbe Joustra, the Dutch national coordinator for counterterrorism, told the Washington Post by telephone interview on July 20, 2006. "In their search for motivation and their search for reasons to radicalize, they are no longer looking so much at national issues as international ones."

Swiss and Dutch officials comment that they are seeing an increase in Islamic extremist activities in their countries and they are not alone. France, Spain, India, and Thailand are also experiencing increased terrorist activities tied to Al Qaeda and other Islamic terrorist groups as well.

More alarming is that some terrorist activities now being played out by small extremist factions that don't even have ties to Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, or the other major terrorist players. This fact of localization and starter-cells is documented by the intensive investigation done by Spanish authorities after the al Qaeda-like train attacks of March 11, 2004. Spanish authorities have uncovered that these "local terrorists" had not received training in any terrorist camp nor had they received any underground funding. The cell responsible for the train bombings appears to have coalesced as a group from a local mosque and then planned and funded their own attacks.

This is alarming news to everyday citizens. We seem to think that the worldwide terrorist network is run like a government or large company with clear hierarchy and a chain of command. That if we root out the leaders of these organizations the attacks will stop. Not the case anymore! Small local Islamic extremist terror self-starter cells are now choosing to act alone without the support of the larger terrorist organizations. The situation is alarming and clearly indicates that winning a war on terror that has spread to this small local level will be most difficult.

There must be a solution to solve this thorny and growing problem.

Posted by The Watcher at Saturday, July 22, 2006 | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

Even though Iran disavows this, Iran is feeding arms and monetary support through underground networks to support Hezbollah in Lebanon.

"he who equips a warrior of jihad is like the one who makes jihad himself"
Egyptian cleric Wagdy Ghuneim on May 24, 1998 in Brooklyn, New York American Jihad The Terrorists Among Us by Steven Emerson

Based on the tenants of the Muslim faith it is the responsibility of every Muslim to make jihad. The big argument in the Muslim community is what does jihad mean exactly.

For mainstream Muslims, jihad means the internal struggle to do what is right; an internal struggle between good and evil.

For Muslim fundamentalist, who are part of the extremist fringe, jihad means actual fighting for their perceived holy cause. With the end result of bringing God's paradise to Earth, through turning the world into a Muslim state which strictly follows the Qur'an.

From the Islamic Extremists perspective, this "jihad" is to be achieved by any and all costs, with infidels (non-Muslims) and "unenlightened" Muslims (those Muslims the extremists feel have strayed from the "true" faith, from their viewpoint) as innocent victims who will suffer from the violence to achieve these ends.

With that said, Iran is performing jihad through Hezbollah. Iran's hatred of Israel is well documented from writings of the ruling Mullahs to speeches from the Iranian President. Iran is championing the Hezbollah cause and performing jihad actively.

Posted by The Watcher at Thursday, July 20, 2006 | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

If you read the paper this morning, the political pundits are screaming at each other across the pages from different camps. Yes, the bombing of Lebanon to force out the Hezbollah is good. No, the bombing is bad, it will harden the position of Islamic Extremists and the Hezbollah; pushing violence into other global regions.

Even the American President, George Bush, seems confused on what to do with spiraling violence in the Middle East, North Korean nuclear threat, and Iraq on his plate. It doesn't appear that a diplomatic solution spearheaded by the US is in the immediate future for the crisis in Lebanon. In fact, George Bush has even stated that he feels that Israel has the sovereign right to take the actions that they have -- bombing Lebanon. The world community even seems divided on who started the scuffle and now how to end it.

I am watching all of this and wondering why there is not outrage in the world community about the Hezbollah drawing Lebanon into war with Israel. Hezbollah, although strongly entrenched in Lebanon, is not the official mouth piece nor official military machine of Lebanon, yet they have been acting as such. Where is the outrage of the Lebanese people about Hezbollah acting on their behalf? By not taking a strong stand against the actions of Hezbollah, the Lebanese population appears to be giving tacit approval of their actions.

Iran states that it supported Hezbollah in the past but is not condoning their current actions nor are they funding them. Yet why are the Israelis being pounded with weapons made in Iran? How could an extremist organization like Hezbollah have the hard currency needed to buy all these expensive weapons and carry on a national battle with out serious funding?

The crisis seems to be building without real answers from either camp. In fact, in a poll from Tuesday's Yedioth Aharonoth, an Israeli daily, 86% of those surveyed said the Israeli offensive was "the right thing to do", and 81% wanted it to continue. In Lebanon, Abbas Fattuni states for the Washington Post, "We're nothing without the resistance [Hezbollah]. When a Lebanese dies anywhere in the country, no one in the Arab world lifts a finger. Only the resistance cares about them."

What do you think is the solution?

Posted by The Watcher at Wednesday, July 19, 2006 | Permalink | Comments | links to this post   

I am "The Watcher." I am concerned about what is happening in our world; concerned about the growth of terrorism in America and in the World. I am concerned with the rapid growth and lack of understanding of the mechanics of Islamic Extremists and how this small cadres of compatriots from various backgrounds and countries are jeopardizing the safety and security of everyday citizens worldwide.

My purpose is to draw you into conversation and discussion of not only current events, but to bring a sharp focus on the events that are happening in front of us all. What can we do to change the situation in Lebanon and how do we handle the subtle and not so subtle aggression of Iran and covert support of the Hezbollah?

I want to know your thoughts. I want to open the discussion on how we can change our world for the better.

Posted by The Watcher at Wednesday, July 19, 2006 | Permalink | Comments | links to this post