Lawmakers Warn Cairo Over NGO Crackdown

More than 40 members of the House of Representatives have signed letters warning that U.S. aid to Egypt could be jeopardized if the country's military leadership refuses to show respect for human rights and "support a transition to a democratic system under civilian control."

A diverse coalition signed the letters, ranging from Republican Reps. Frank Wolf, Va., and James Sensenbrenner, Wis., to Democratic Reps. Steny Hoyer, Md., and Maxine Waters, Cal., sharply criticized the Egyptian government over Dec. 29 raids and ongoing investigations of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).

The raids targeted NGOs including the National Democratic Institute, the International Republican Institute and Freedom House. They "constitute an attack on Egyptian society writ large and are completely unacceptable," the lawmakers wrote in nearly identical letters to Egyptian military boss Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

The timing of the raids "is especially ironic as the NDI and IRI were accredited by Egyptian authorities to observe the just-completed parliamentary elections," the letter said. They note that 400 Egyptian groups "face similarly politically-driven allegations and investigations."

Several staff members of those NGOs have been told they cannot leave the country while the investigation continues. That includes the IRI's Sam Lahood, son of Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood.

The letters do not mention that aspect, but do warn that Cairo would pay a heavy price if it continued harassing the NGOs. If the issue isn't satisfactorily resolved soon, it would become "increasingly difficult for congressional supporters of a strong U.S.-Egyptian bilateral relationship to defend current levels of assistance to Egypt – especially in this climate of budget cuts in Washington," according to the lawmakers.

They urged Cairo to "immediately allow these offices to reopen, return all confiscated property, end the investigations into these organizations and other civil society groups and allow NGOs to carry out their activities in an unfettered manner."

House Hearing: Growing Terror Connection to Drug Cartels

There will be "hell to pay" if the United States doesn't stop the growing link between Latin American drug cartels and Iranian-sponsored terror, former Drug Enforcement Administration operations chief Michael A. Braun told a House hearing on Thursday. The Iran-Cuba-Venezuela axis is reaching out to regional terrorist groups and drug traders with networks in the United States, expanding the operational capacity of the Islamic Republic deep into our nation's cities.

Iran and Latin American pariah states support terrorists organization with training bases and territory in South America, but both are increasingly cooperating with one another and drug cartels to advance their own agendas. According to Braun, this means that Iran's al-Quds Force and its proxy Hizballah have more "opportunities to leverage the transportation, money laundering, arms trafficking, corruption, human trafficking and smuggling infrastructures of the Colombian and Mexican drug trafficking cartels."

Ultimately, Braun explained, foreign terrorist organizations and drug cartels use similar methods and have little to divide them ideologically. Both favor increasing the amount and exploitation of ungovernable territory, and the anti-American ideology of the Iran-Latin American alliance means using those resources to harm America. The best solution to fight this cooperation is breaking down the barriers between American counterterrorism forces and drug enforcement.

Other witnesses pointed out the depth of the relationship between some South American countries and Iran, and how these nations benefit from one another. José Azel, a senior researcher on the subject from the University of Miami, explained how the anti-American regimes overcome ideological differences, ultimate uniting secular, pro-communist states with Iran's theocracy.

Norman Bailey of the Institute of Global Economic Growth used his prepared remarks to delve into Iran's use of this alliance to circumvent international sanctions and build influence through investments. He recommended sanctioning Venezuelan banks doing business with Iran, and possibly blacklisting Venezuela as a terrorist sponsoring state.

Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, argued that current Western sanctions were already hitting Iran hard. Iran has broken investment promises that it is trying to leverage into influence, and its terrorist activity hurts cooperation. Also, strengthening economic cooperation between South American countries and the United States eliminates opportunities for Iran to make inroads.

IDF Facebook Story Called a Fraud

A photograph purporting to show an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier abusing a Palestinian girl went viral on Facebook earlier this week. The photo, uploaded by a Facebook user named Wesley Muhammad, was said to show the Israeli soldier pressing a boot on the stomach of the girl lying on her back while pointing an AK-47 rifle at her face.

It became a hot topic of conversation in Israel, where close to half the population is on Facebook. Within hours, Israeli subscribers and others began raising questions about the photograph. Many pointed out that the IDF rarely uses AK-47s; that the uniform shown on Facebook wasn't that of the IDF; and that the boots and jacket in the picture are not part of the IDF uniform.

The Los Angeles Times reported that approximately six months ago, someone named @madlamin tweeted what appears to be the same picture with a message in French encouraging users to spread it around the world. The boot was marked with a hashtag indicating that it might have been a picture of a Syrian soldier attacking a demonstrator during domestic unrest there.

But Muslim blogger Omar Dakhane believes that the soldier was neither Israeli nor Syrian. After searching online, he concluded that the image actually came from a 2009 street theater performance in Bahrain.

The picture doesn't show the IDF at all, Dakhane wrote. He appeared to suggest that its dissemination is "all part of the propaganda of hate" directed at Israel.

Read more here.

FBI Director Warns of Rising Cyber Threat

FBI Director Robert Mueller called cyber threats the top future threat facing America in testimony this week before the Senate Intelligence Committee, InformationWeek reports. The broad range of online threats, both from state and non-state actors, highlights a complex threat to key institutions of the government, economy, and media.

"I do not think today it [cyber terrorism] is necessarily [the] number one threat, but it will be tomorrow," Mueller said. "Counterterrorism — stopping terrorist attacks — with the FBI is the present number one priority. But down the road, the cyber threat, which cuts across all [FBI] programs, will be the number one threat to the country."

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper underscored the complexity of threat. Internet attacks are difficult to predict and act on, he said, and "many intrusions into U.S. networks are not being detected." Joining major state actors China and Russia, Iran has also broadened its capabilities and hyped up its willingness to act on attacks. In addition, hacker groups like Anonymous, which brings together thousands of members of the public to act on its own 'campaigns,' have struck key sectors of the economy.

Congress is taking this threat seriously after dragging its feet for years, with the House dealing with cyber security legislation this week and the Senate considering a more comprehensive bill later this month.

Israel provides a model for how cyber attacks occur and how they can be countered. It is fighting an online war with Arab hackers, who have struck financial and governmental websites, as well as released Israeli credit card data.

Assad Regime Starts to Implode

U.S. intelligence officials are surprised over the rapid deterioration of the Syrian Army, the Washington Post's David Ignatius reported Thursday. U.S. intelligence reports say that on Monday, 350 Syrian soldiers defected from the national Army controlled by President Bashar Assad to the opposition Free Syrian Army.

"I am stunned at how fast this is moving, and how fast Assad is falling," said a senior U.S. official who coordinates policy towards Damascus. American officials say Assad is no longer able to exert control over the entire country.

Between 7,000 and 10,000 Syrian soldiers have defected from the military, and an estimated 15,000 more have gone AWOL. They are believed to have taken refuge in Turkey or Jordan or to have gone underground in Syria. While these soldiers are hardly capable of taking on the 300,000-man Syrian Army by themselves, it's clear that things are spiraling rapidly downhill for Assad, whose family has run the country for more than 40 years.

In an effort to prevent opposition forces from making further inroads in embattled major cities like Aleppo and Damascus, the Syrian military is withdrawing units from embattled cities like Idlib, Homs and Hama—leaving them more vulnerable to capture by opposition forces. Thursday marked the 30^th anniversary of the Hama massacre, in which the Syrian military, under orders from Bashar's father, President Hafez Assad, slaughtered tens of thousands of its countrymen in suppressing a revolt by the Muslim Brotherhood.

Assad's decline is worrying Iran, which last month dispatched Gen. Qassem Suleimani, commander of the Revolutionary Guards' Qods (Jerusalem) Force to Syria, where he offered weapons and financial assistance to the Assad regime.

But at the same time, Tehran may be hedging its bets. Ignatius reports that Iran has reportedly opened secret contacts with opposition forces, and may offer them a limited amount of weapons and funding.

"Such an effort to back two sides at once would be characteristic of Suleimani, who employed similar tactics in Iraq in his role as chief of Iranian covert action," Ignatius writes.

Meanwhile, Israeli officials are worried that Damascus may transfer weapons of mass destruction to Hizballah. A senior Israeli defense official said that as the situation worsens for Assad, it may try to transfer weaponry to Hizballah control—possibly at Tehran's behest. Doing so, one official said, would be tantamount to "a declaration of war."

Muslim Group Defends "Third Jihad"

A group of American and Canadian Muslims is standing by the content of a documentary criticized by Islamist groups and the media after it was shown to New York Police Department officers last year. In doing so, the American Islamic Leadership Coalition (AILC) emphasizes some points overlooked by critics of "The Third Jihad."

"The Third Jihad explicitly distinguishes between the religion of Islam, and the highly politicized ideology of religious hatred, supremacy and violence characteristic of political Islam, often referred to as 'Islamism," the AILC said in a statement.

Film narrator Zuhdi Jasser, the Arizona doctor and head of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, is a part of the AILC. He also has written in defense of the film and criticized the media uproar surrounding it. The AILC statement focuses on a New York Times story last week, which it said echoed and amplified "the party line of well-known Muslim Brotherhood supporters in the U.S."

Those groups seek to stifle "rational discourse concerning the very real threat posed by "radical Islam" to Western societies, and to Muslims at large." See similar points by IPT Executive Director Steven Emerson here.

Writing separately on the same issue, Supna Jaidi, an attorney and senior fellow at the Stonegate Institute, says the episode shows how well Islamists have stifled legitimate debate by tarring any critic as intolerant.

"As Islam has also been given this deference in the West," she writes, "it is ironic that the success of Islamists there has been advanced by convincing many Westerners that there can be no separation between the personal and the political in Islam. As a result, one cannot question their activities unless one is ready to be called a bigot, racist or 'Islamophobe.'"

The entire AILC statement is copied below:

American Muslim leaders support "The Third Jihad"

Decry New York Times attack on film

WASHINGTON, DC (February 1, 2012)—The American Islamic Leadership Coalition (AILC) has expressed serious concern at the vilification of the documentary The Third Jihad by the New York Times, which appears to be echoing and amplifying the party line of well-known Muslim Brotherhood supporters in the U.S. In its public statement, the AILC warned about the grave dangers of instrumentalizing Islam, from either end of the political spectrum:

"Well-intentioned Muslims and their allies on the left (including the New York Times) should beware of politicizing Islam, or seeking to prevent rational discourse concerning the very real threat posed by "radical Islam" to Western societies, and to Muslims at large. For those who deny a threat whose existence is self-evident to a majority of our fellow citizens, will share in the responsibility if and when that majority loses patience amid the heat of a future crisis—lashing out at Islam itself, and all Muslims, for the behavior of Muslim supremacists, whose ideology our intellectual and political elites have so dismally failed to acknowledge or address.

In light of the swirling controversy over the New York Police Department's use of a film, The Third Jihad, for training purposes, we feel it is our civic, moral and religious duty to publicly address a number of issues raised by this controversy.

We have viewed The Third Jihad, and regard the information presented therein to be both factually accurate, and important for our fellow Muslim and non-Muslim citizens to understand, debate and address.

The Third Jihad explicitly distinguishes between the religion of Islam, and the highly politicized ideology of religious hatred, supremacy and violence characteristic of political Islam, often referred to as "Islamism." While the film does not examine the pluralistic, tolerant and spiritual traditions of Islam that lie at the heart of our own understanding thereof, this does not imply that the film is inaccurate in its depiction of what it specifically terms "radical Islam," as exemplified by movements such as al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Wahhabism (aka "Salafism") and the Muslim Brotherhood.

We agree with the view expressed in the January 24, 2012 edition of the New York Times, that The Third Jihad is "a dark film" and "an explosive documentary." However, contrary to the Times' insinuation, this is not because of any falsehoods contained in the film. Rather, both the violent—and non-violent, subversive—methods employed by Islamist movements to achieve their goal of political domination are indeed "dark" and highly disturbing (hence, "explosive") to most people who come to recognize, but do not share, the Islamists' worldview and agenda.

Significantly, since the attacks of 9/11, the NYPD has evidenced greater courage and recognition of the factors that cause radicalization among Muslims, than have the various federal agencies explicitly tasked with defending our nation and its people. Notwithstanding Islamist claims to the contrary, we believe there is nothing inappropriate about the NYPD or other security agencies using the film The Third Jihad to help their staff understand and recognize the ideology of religious hatred, supremacy and violence that underlies and animates Islamist terrorism.

The NYPD's initial denial of having widely used the film for training purposes—and subsequent public apologies issued by Commissioner Kelly ("It shouldn't have been shown") and Mayor Bloomberg ("Somebody exercised some terrible judgment. I don't know who. We'll find out.")—are in and of themselves deeply troubling, and say far more about the current state of American society than about The Third Jihad itself. In fact, these public denials and apologies demonstrate the remarkable success achieved by the Islamist lobby in North America, which seeks to prevent any and all public discussion of the supremacist political ideology that non-violent Islamist organizations share in common with terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda. In other words, the behavior of the NYPD, in this matter, tends to confirm the film's thesis.

Islamist groups and their allies are, predictably, now seeking to exploit the opportunity presented by the current controversy over The Third Jihad to call for "oversight," "corrective training" and "participation" by the "Muslim community" (i.e., Islamists!) in all counter-terrorist programs initiated by the NYPD.

The American Islamic Leadership Coalition recognizes and deplores the rise and spread of genuine Islamophobia in North America and Europe. However, we ascribe this rise of anti-Islam and anti-Muslim attitudes primarily to the actions of Muslims themselves (i.e., Islamists), whose efforts to establish an Islamic caliphate, an Islamic state, and/or to impose an antiquated and falsely-divinized human understanding of Islamic law upon others by force, dominate our daily headlines, and inevitably generate a strong sense of disgust—and visceral mistrust—among many of our fellow citizens.

Any and all efforts to conceal the Islamist agenda, or render its discussion beyond the pale of acceptable discourse—by branding such talk as "Islamophobia" or "hate speech"—threatens not only our common freedom and security, but the very future of Islam itself. For the Islamists' prime goal is the silencing of Muslim opposition, and of any voice in the Muslim world that would challenge their monolithic, sterile and shallow understanding of Islam, which lacks the spirituality that enables religion to serve as a true path to God.

Islamist opposition to The Third Jihad, a film narrated by Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, clearly demonstrates this point. The Islamists' uproar is driven by a desire to stifle alternative and truly moderate voices such as that of Dr. Jasser, a member of this coalition whom we know to be a devout Muslim committed to the highest values of Islam, and to our nation's founding principles. The New York Times' decision to embrace the Islamist "party line" on this matter hinders sincere efforts to identify and address the ideological source of Muslim radicalization, and to promote true reform within Islam, consistent with its primary message of universal love, compassion and mercy for all God's creatures.

The current, highly-politicized nature of public discourse about Islam, in the West, is thus deeply worrying to us. Those who are truly Islamophobic often fail to acknowledge any redeeming qualities in Islam, or the faith of observant Muslims. Instead, they tend to demonize Islam, and seek to convince the majority of our fellow citizens that Islam itself is the threat, because its "true" and "authoritative" teachings are ostensibly identical to those of the Islamists.

Simultaneously, many on the left minimize or dismiss the threat posed by Islamists and instead proclaim Islam to be purely "a religion of peace," while depicting the dire warnings of their political opponents as the raving of xenophobic and delusional hate-mongers, who seek to ostracize, and victimize, Muslims in general.

The result of these conflicting views is institutional paralysis in the West, and a complete lack of societal consensus as to the nature of the threat we face from "radical Islam," and how we should address it.

For those who seek clarity amid the chaos of this dispute, it may be helpful to realize that those at both ends of the political spectrum, described above, share one salient feature in common with the Islamists themselves: i.e., they seek to instrumentalize the religion of Islam for political purposes.

Thus, an essential step towards establishing a rational, sound and mutually beneficial policy towards Islam and Muslims is for the U.S. and other Western nations to depoliticize this issue and create a bi-partisan/international consensus. Failure to do so will inevitably lead to greater polarization in the coming years, and the likely emergence of a societal consensus in the West whose demographics were on stark display in the summer of 2010, in polls concerning the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque": i.e., approximately 30% in favor, and 70% opposed. In Europe, this is the path of ethnic and religious cleansing, advocated by Anders Breivik and a rising populist movement. Here in the U.S., it is similarly the path of fear and hatred. To willfully and/or blindly continue along this path—especially at a time of nuclear proliferation and widespread political instability in the Muslim world—is the height of irresponsible folly."

###

Iranian Government Threatens U.S. in Gulf

Iran has increased its threats against the West and targets in the Arabian Gulf, in response to Western sanctions and the boycott of Iran's Central Bank, a report from the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) shows.

The report shows that the threats have come from all levels of the Iranian government, military leadership, and society. Iranian parliament member and national security deputy chairman, Hossein Ebrahimi announced last week that Iran would not allow its oil to be boycotted and would instead turn the Gulf into "graveyard" for foreign forces.

In December, the conservative Serat News published an article called "We Welcome War," which called for jihad against American forces by Muslims around the world. Another Iranian information portal, Mashregh News, published photos of American military installations in the region and in Turkey and gave detailed plans of how to strike U.S. forces.

Even a leader of the Basij, Iran's plainclothes semi-official militia, has repeated similar rhetoric. "The U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, the American land forces [base] in Kuwait, and the U.S. Air Force [base] in Qatar are entirely surrounded by holy fighters of the Islamic ummah who are counting the minutes in anticipation of the command to wipe out the U.S." said militia commander Mohammad Reza-Naqdi, at a November Basij convention.

While many Iranian outlets and government agencies have called for violence against America before, active plots by Iranian military groups and proxies shows a new level of aggression. Azerbaijan recently broke up an Iranian-led plot to kill the Israeli ambassador. The United States thwarted an Iranian plot in October in which Iran's Revolutionary Guard tried to contract out the killing of the Saudi ambassador in Washington, as well as the bombing of the Saudi and Israeli embassies there.

9 British Terror Plotters Plead Guilty

Four British terror suspects have admitted to plotting to blow up the London Stock Exchange, while five more coconspirators pled guilty to related terrorism offenses, the BBC notes. The group pled guilty Wednesday after the judge promised that the leader would face no more than 18½ years in prison, with all the other plotters facing significantly less time. They will be released, however, after serving half of their sentences as is standard in Britain.

The prosecutor accepted the defendants' claims that they had not planned to kill anyone with their bombing campaign, although they had also included the mayor of London, two rabbis, and the U.S. embassy in their target list. "Their intention was to cause terror and economic harm and disruption. But their chosen method meant there was a risk people would be maimed or killed," said prosecutor Andrew Edis. Two of the plotters also discussed conducting a "Mumbai-style" shooting raid during the 2010 Christmas season.

The group of radical Islamists was inspired by American-born al-Qaida leader, Anwar al-Awlaki. Until his recent assassination, Awlaki was known for his online presence and his unlimited call to kill Americans and other Westerners, which he claimed did not require a fatwa, as killing Satan does not require permission.

"Our priority is, and always will be, the protection of the public," said Officer Stuart Osborne of the West Midlands Police's counterterrorism unit, after hearing of the guilty pleas.

Report: Iran, Syria Behind Bahrain Plots

Five men arrested for plotting terror attacks in Bahrain are connected to Iran's Revolutionary Guard and reportedly received military training in Syria, ABC News reports. The November arrests of the suspects, who allegedly planned to assassinate Bahraini political leaders and blow up the island nation's only bridge to Saudi Arabia, has escalated already high tensions between Sunni nations and the West with Shiite Muslims led by Iran.

The Bahraini terrorism suspects were arrested while traveling to neighboring Qatar, on their way to train with Iran's Revolution Guard, a government official said. The group was caught carrying "maps of vital Bahraini infrastructure," "a laptop containing sensitive security information," plane reservations to Syria and large amounts of American dollars and Iranian rials. ABC News sources also said that the group had spent time in a military training camp on the Lebanese-Syrian border, where they received instructions on using explosives and carrying out assassinations.

The incident adds to deteriorating relations between the Sunni Arabian Gulf states and the Shiite Iran-Syria-Hizballah axis. Sunni Syrian protesters have been struggling against the Shiite government, Hizballah, and Iranian forces, and have been supported by Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. The Saudis have also supported Western calls against Iran's nuclear program, prompting Iranian threats to close off all oil exports from the region.

A member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard was also charged last October in connection with a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington, as well as planning to bomb the Saudi and Israeli embassies there. Reports indicate that Iran has also recently plotted to strike Jewish and Western targets abroad.

Qaradawi: No Chopping Off of Hands Now…But Later is OK

The Muslim Brotherhood's leading religious voice thinks that shari'a law should be instituted in Egypt—but in a gradual fashion—according to a translation put out by The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

Yusuf al-Qaradawi was interviewed last Thursday on Egypt's Al-Nahar TV. During the segment, the Qatar-based scholar discussed the current political situation in Egypt and let his feelings known that no alternative exists to the complete implementation of shari'a.

But this change need not come all at once; instead, those in power "should do things gradually."

"We should prepare the people, teach them…[because] people do not understand the shari'a properly," Qaradawi said. The next five years should be transitional, meaning "there should be no chopping off of hands."

But fear not, shari'a seekers, this transitional phase is only meant to be temporary.

"This should be a period in which we teach people the true laws of shari'a," he said. When we find food for all the hungry, schools for all the pupils, hospitals for all the sick, homes for all those who want them, wives for all the bachelors, then we can discuss the punishment for theft."

The electorally driven, gradual nature of change advocated by Qaradawi keeps in line with well-established Brotherhood ideology, with the ultimate goal being the unification of all Muslims under the banner of the Caliphate—or universal Islamic state.

And it is certainly not a new notion for Qaradawi either. In November, the Brotherhood cleric made similar comments in a fatwa posted on OnIslam.net. In it, he noted "Gradualism in applying the Shari'ah is a wise requirement to follow. In doing so, we will be following Allah's Laws with regard to physical nature and teachings of Islam."

Previously, at a 1995 conference held by the Muslim Arab Youth Association (MAYA) in Toledo, Ohio, Qaradawi called for the conquest of Western regimes and the implementation of shari'a not through armed conflict, but through Da'wa (proselytization):

"What remains, then, is to conquer Rome. The second part of the omen. 'The city of Hiraq [once emperor of Constantinople] will be conquered first,' so what remains is to conquer Rome. This means that Islam will come back to Europe for the third time, after it was expelled from it twice… Conquest through Da'wa [proselytizing] that is what we hope for. We will conquer Europe, we will conquer America! Not through sword but through Da'wa."

Qaradawi's approach to putting sharia into practice is noticeably measured when compared to other vocal Brotherhood leaders. In December, one of the group's senior leaders, Sobhi Saleh, caused a stir when he stated publicly that the Brotherhood's political arm would apply Islamic law and "prohibit alcohol" if brought to power. "It was planned since 1928," he said. "But Islam is the solution."

Comments such as these can only serve to further alarm the country's liberal/secular activists, who have been vocal about their distrust and disapproval of the Brotherhood and its plan for Egypt.

Qaradawi's comments Thursday offer little to quell such fears.

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