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McCain: Saying Allahu Akbar is Like Saying Thank God

john-mccain31Sen. John McCain said shouting “Allahu Akbar” is the same as saying “thank God.”

McCain (R-AZ) made that stunning theological pronouncement during an interview with Brian Kilmeade on Fox & Friends.

“For someone to say Allahu Akbar is about as offensive as someone saying thank God,” McCain said.

Kilmeade told the senator he had an issue with recently obtained video that reportedly shows Syrian rebels shooting down a Syrian fighter jet and shouting, “Allahu Akbar!”

“I have a problem helping those people out, if they’re screaming that after a hit,” Kilmeade said.

Read more from this story HERE.

Public School Promotes Five Pillars of Islam

Photo Credit: Fox News

Photo Credit: Fox News

Parents at a Wichita, Kan. elementary school were shocked to discover a giant wall display inside the building promoting the five pillars of Islam.

The large exhibit was erected before the start of the school year as part of a religion component being taught at Minneha Core Knowledge Magnet School, a school district spokesperson told Fox News.

“The bulletin board that originally caused the concern does represent the 5 Pillars of Islam — in a historical context of their studies,” the spokesperson said.

The district said the photograph of the bulletin board is misleading because it is “without context.”

“There is also a painting of the Last Supper hanging in the school as part of the study of art and the Renaissance period,” the spokesperson said. “A photo take of a bulletin board without context is misleading, and some have taken it out of context without having all the information.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Egyptian Islamists Target Christian Churches in Wave of Apparently Coordinated Attacks

Photo Credit: Almogaz/Twitter

Photo Credit: Almogaz/Twitter

By Patrick Goodenough.

Some supporters of Egypt’s ousted Islamist president directed their wrath at the country’s Christian minority Wednesday, in what activists described as “the worst coordinated attacks on Egypt’s Coptic community in modern history.”

Largely eclipsed by the military’s crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood protest camps in Cairo and resulting loss of life, more than 20 churches in a number of provinces were reported to have been targeted for arson and other attacks.

Through the day news reports and social media posts drew attention to individual incidents and it soon became apparent that a concerted campaign of coordinated attacks was underway. Most of the targeted churches were Coptic Orthodox, but Catholic churches were also attacked as well as at least one Protestant church.

One of the groups monitoring the situation through contacts on the ground, the Australian Coptic Movement Association (ACM), released a list of 16 churches and related sites attacked, and said the true figure could reach 40.

Those it listed included six churches and the house of a parish priest in Minya province, south-west of Cairo, among them a Church of the Virgin Mary which the ACM reported had been “totally demolished.”

Read more from this story HERE.

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Photo Credit: Bryan Denton

Photo Credit: Bryan Denton

Islamists Debate Their Next Move in Tense Cairo

By David. D. Kirkpatrick.

Gathering Thursday morning around a mosque used as a morgue for hundreds killed the day before, many Islamists waited confidently for a surge of sympathetic support from the broader public. But it failed to materialize.

With their leaders jailed or silent, Islamists reeled in shock at the worst mass killing in Egypt’s modern history. By Thursday night, health officials had counted 638 dead and nearly 4,000 injured, but the final toll was expected to rise further.

A tense quiet settled over Cairo as the city braced for new protests by supporters of the ousted president, Mohamed Morsi, after the Friday Prayer. The new government authorized the police to use lethal force if they felt endangered.

Many of those waiting outside the makeshift morgue talked of civil war. Some blamed members of Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority for supporting the military takeover. A few argued openly for a turn to violence.

“The solution might be an assassination list,” said Ahmed, 27, who like others refused to use his full name for fear of reprisals from the new authorities. “Shoot anyone in uniform. It doesn’t matter if the good is taken with the bad, because that is what happened to us last night.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Jihadist Leader to U.S.: ‘Islam is Coming’

Photo Credit: WNDDuring a radio interview Sunday, a representative of al-Qaida in the Gaza Strip sent a message to the United States: “Islam is coming and there is no other choice.”

That sentiment was expressed by Abu Saqer, leader of Jihadiya Salafiya in the Gaza Strip, speaking on “Aaron Klein Investigative Radio” on New York’s WABC Radio.

Jihadiya Salafiya represents al-Qaida in the Gaza Strip.

Saqer further stated that after battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the thousands of foreign jihadists currently in Syria could turn their ire on what he called the many other “enemies of Islam,” including Israel and the United States.

Saqer did not say the spread of Islam in the U.S. will come through violence.

Read more from this story HERE.

US Calls on Egypt to “Pull Back from the Brink” While the Muslim Brotherhood Announces the “Free Egyptian Army” Plan

Photo Credit: Amru Salahuddien/CorbisEgypt: John Kerry calls for leaders to ‘pull back from the brink’

By Reuters. The United States has urged Egypt to “pull back from the brink” after security forces killed dozens of supporters of the deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

US secretary of state John Kerry spoke to two senior members of Egypt’s army-installed interim cabinet, expressing his “deep concern”.

“This is a pivotal moment for Egypt,” he said in a statement. “The United States … calls on all of Egypt’s leaders across the political spectrum to act immediately to help their country take a step back from the brink.”

Thousands of Brotherhood supporters were hunkered down in a vigil at a Cairo mosque on Sunday, vowing to stand their ground despite the imminent threat of a move to disperse them.

Saturday’s bloodshed, following huge rival rallies, left an unknown number of people dead. Read more from this story HERE.

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Photo Credit: WNDMuslim Brotherhood declares ‘Free Egyptian Army’ plan

By F. Michael Maloof. The head of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood has declared that his organization plans to create a “Free Egyptian Army” in an effort to reinstate Muslim Brotherhood-backed President Mohammad Morsi, who recently was removed in a coup by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, according to report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.

Muslim Brotherhood Chairman Mohammad Badie who, like Morsi, already has been arrested for inciting violence, said that the Free Egyptian Army intends to “put their viewpoints into action” to return their elected president.

Badie’s announcement to create the Free Egyptian Army mirrors action by the Syrian opposition in creating the Free Syrian Army, which has been fighting against the embattled regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Badie has been jailed on allegations of inciting the violent demonstrations by Brotherhood supporters resulting in more than 100 deaths. His announcement suggests the prospect of increased confrontations with the Egyptian military, leading to greater instability and the prospect of civil war itself, analysts say.

The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood renounced violence some 30 years ago when it entered into mainstream politics, even though its goal remains to Islamize the Egyptian society by promoting Islamic, or Shariah law. Read more from this story HERE.

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Photo Credit: MANU BRABO/APEgypt: Military accused of killing over 100 Muslim Brotherhood followers

By Ruth Sherlock, and Magdy Samaan, and Harriet Alexander. The Muslim Brotherhood said that 66 people were killed and another 61 were “brain dead” on life support machines, after a violent repression of a protest by supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi. The health ministry put the toll from the night’s violence at 72.

“They were not shooting to wound, they were shooting to kill,” said Gehad El-Haddad, Brotherhood spokesman. “The bullet wounds are in the head and chest.”

The Sunday Telegraph saw the aftermath of the violence first hand on Saturday at a makeshift field hospital close to the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque, where dozens of corpses were laid out in a room and blood soaked the carpets.

Hundreds of wounded lay resting and groaning on floor. Doctors and volunteers sought to treat the injured with minimal first aid kits.

Many aimed chants at Gen Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, the head of the armed forces, saying: “The people want to execute the butcher.” Read more from this story HERE.

Islamic Extremists Attacking Egypt’s Christian Community Over Morsi Ouster (+video)

Photo Credit: Fox NewsThe Muslim Brotherhood reportedly is attempting to blame Egypt’s Coptic Christian community for the recent ousting of President Mohammed Morsi and even resorting to violent tactics in an effort to gain back power.

Reports have surfaced out of Egypt that sectarian attacks against Copts by Islamic extremists are on the rise since Morsi was ousted July 3. Copts, who make up about 9% of Egypt’s population, have said they consistently have been targeted by Islamic radicals for campaigning against the Muslim Brotherhood-backed president.

“The Muslim Brotherhood’s regime caused a split in Egyptian unity on the basis of religious affiliations,” Nabil Abdel Fattah, political analyst and researcher for the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies said in a recent interview with Mid-East Christian news.

“The sectarian attacks against Copts are one of the controversial strategies pursued by Islamic extremist currents in their bid to intimidate Christians,” he added. “Whether it is out of revenge for participating in the political process or as a result of the radical ideologies these groups have, [they are] creating a stae of anarchy and insecurity across the Egyptian streets, turning current issues into a sectarian conflict to mobilize neutral citizens against their fellow countrymen.”

Nine Christians have been killed throughout the country, including one priest in the Sinai Peninsula, according a report in the Financial Times. The fatal shooting of priest Mina Aboud Sharween has led many other Coptic clergy to go into hiding.

Read more from this story HERE.

Chechens Call for Terrorist Attacks on Russian 2014 Winter Olympics

Photo Credit: WNDThe head of the Chechen Islamist militants has put out a call to all North Caucasus militants to begin planning attacks to disrupt the February 2014 Winter Olympics to be held at the Russian Black Sea resort in Sochi, according to report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.

Doku Umarov, who wants to establish a Caucasus Emirates in the North Caucasus region that includes the predominantly Muslim Russian provinces of Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagastan, has issued the call to “do their utmost to derail” the games.

Umarov’s call is the realization of Moscow’s worst fear, since it sees security of the games as one of its highest priorities. It is estimated that Moscow will spend more than $51 billion to make a success of the games which it sees as a showpiece for its economic and technological achievements.

Umarov’s call is a reversal of his previous position that he would not launch attacks on civilian targets, although his group’s previous attacks on the Moscow subway a few years ago was a sign of that change.

The location of the 2014 Winter Olympics at Sochi butts up against those predominantly Muslim provinces which Umarov has declared constitute the Caucasus Emirates.

Read more from this story HERE.

Unanswered Questions Plague Seal Team 6 Losses

Photo Credit: WNDEveryone knows about the U.S. military’s SEAL Team Six and its involvement in the Pakistan raid that left terror leader Osama bin Laden dead – heck, Hollywood made a movie about the members after the Obama administration reportedly dished out classified information to those working on the production.

But there are many, many questions that remain unanswered about the brave Navy SEAL team members who put on the boots and weaponry and defended America and how they may have been used as political pawns in a White House campaign to “reach out and coddle Islamist fundamentalists.”

The new case has been launched by FreedomWatch’s Larry Klayman, whose complaint is on behalf of several families of Navy SEAL Team members who died when their helicopter was shot down by Taliban jihadists on Aug. 6, 2011, in Afghanistan…

Defendants in the case are Vice President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who are accused of disclosing classified information about the team’s success in Pakistan and putting a “target on the backs” of the heroes and their families.

“Predictably, the Taliban retaliated by blasting the helicopter out of the air and killing all on board,” FreedomWatch said in its announcement about the case.

Read more from this story HERE.

Shocker: Liberal Host Bob Beckel Lets Loose With Anti-Muslim Tirade (+video)

Photo Credit: The BlazeBob Beckel, the liberal co-host of Fox News’ “The Five,” on Tuesday said that if it were up to him, there would not be any new mosques built in the U.S. until “we got it worked out who was not a terrorist.”

He was reacting to a story about a radical Islamic group called Boko Haram, a militant group suspected of killing dozens of children at a school in Nigeria recently.

Read more from this story HERE.

‘Rape Culture’ vs. ‘Islamophobia’

Photo Credit: Hiro Komae/APThe weathermen at Twitchy.com report that novelist Joyce Carol Oates set off a twit-storm Friday with a pair of tweets about sexual violence in Egypt: The first coyly referred to recently deposed president Mohamed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood: “Something dispiriting about ‘Brotherhood’ political parties–wonder what it is.” The second was explicit: “Where 99.3% of women report having been sexually harassed & rape is epidemic–Egypt–natural to inquire: what’s the predominant religion?”

“Don’t miss @JoyceCarolOates coming out publicly as a serious bigot,” tweeted Umair Haque, an economist who writes for the Harvard Business Review. “Check out her tweets today, they’re awesomely gross!” Salon.com’s Prachi Gupta described Oates’s tweets as “Islamophobic.” Lauren Rankin–whose Twitter bio describes her as “feminist. writer. activist. graduate student. reproductive justice. sour jelly bean enthusiast”–insisted: “this is islamophobia embodied. islam doesn’t encourage rape or sexual assault. you know what does? PATRIARCHY.”

“Another day, another white woman #islamophobe,” mused Lucy Homan, another white woman “trouble-making, invisibly disabled, non-binary gender, queer, sexqueer, trans femme” whose passions include “kink, parenting, disability, polyamory, feminism, and sex talk.”

Oates defended her line of inquiry: ” ‘Rape culture’; has no relationship to any ‘religious culture’–how can this be? Religion has no effect on behavior at all? How possible?” To which Anita Felicelli responded with a tu quoque: “Do you also think that mass gun violence in schools bears a relationship to Christianity?” That turned out to be an illi quoque, for Oates answered: “Yes. There is a Christian Crusade culture. All religions are ‘militant.’ Secular law needed to restrain them.”

Here Oates goes off the rails. While the Crusades were an example of militant Christianity, there is no factual basis for asserting a connection between Christianity and “mass gun violence in schools,” whether of the psycho-killer or the street-thug kind, in 21st-century America.

Read more from this story HERE.