Fort Hood Fallout: Muslims face Insults but no widespread backlash, Muslims and Islamophobia, NewAgeISlam.com

Muslims and Islamophobia

Fort Hood Fallout: Muslims face Insults but no widespread backlash

Central Texas Muslims say increased knowledge of Islam since 9/11 attacks helped deter anti-Muslim sentiments.

When the suspect in the Nov. 5 Fort Hood shooting was identified as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, Muslims all over the country braced for widespread retaliation similar to what they saw after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

In Texas alone, the days following the 2001 attacks saw three mosques vandalized: a Molotov cocktail was thrown against the side of the Islamic Society of Denton, at least six bullets were fired through windows of the Islamic Center of Irving and a window was smashed at an Islamic center in Carrollton.

But no such widespread backlash has come after this month's shootings.

Imam Islam Mossaad, who leads the North Austin Muslim Community Center, said a few hateful voice mails were left at the mosque after the Nov. 5 shootings, but he said that's far fewer than the dozens they received after Sept. 11.

"Thankfully nothing major, only insults and empty threats here and there," he said. "All the positive e-mails and calls of support from fellow faith leaders in Austin that we have interacted with by far overshadow the ignorant hatred of anonymous individuals."

"I give credit to the U.S. military and a lot of the media in not jumping to too many conclusions or insinuating some sort of mass conspiracy was going on by their Muslim neighbors," Mossaad said.

Muslims groups locally and nationally immediately denounced the shootings.

http://newageislam.com/fort-hood-fallout--muslims-face-insults-but-no-widespread-backlash/muslims-and-islamophobia/d/2104

Pakistani Taliban now threatens to displace the Pakistani state, War on Terror, NewAgeIslam.com

War on Terror

Pakistani Taliban now threatens to displace the Pakistani state

The Taliban want to consolidate their territorial control in the tribal areas and extend it to as many parts of the NWFP as possible. They would like to establish a political and administrative domain that will have Islamic features similar to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan during 1996-2001. They also have an ideological agenda of making their domain available to other movements that share their “Islamic” agenda. Their approach also involves extending influence and control throughout Afghanistan and Pakistan through allied hard-line groups.

The attack on the ANP leader can be explained only in the backdrop of this ideological and territorial agenda. Unlike the MMA provincial government (2002-2007), the present ANP government in NWFP has openly challenged the efforts of Pakistani Taliban to expand their domain at the expense of the state. The Taliban asked the ANP government to resign, which the latter refused. Therefore, the Taliban view the ANP leadership as an adversary that obstructed the implementation of their agenda. Their bid to eliminate Asfandyar Wali failed, but it underlined the point that the Taliban will target individuals and entities that are blocking the realisation of their agenda.

http://newageislam.com/pakistani-taliban-now-threatens-to-displace-the-pakistani-state--/war-on-terror/d/853

Even spies are afraid of Big Brother now: Orwell was right--The Big Brother State has arrived, even if it has come 20 years late, Current affairs

Current affairs

Even spies are afraid of Big Brother now: Orwell was right--The Big Brother State has arrived, even if it has come 20 years late

BY WILLIAM REES-MOGG

The United States and Europe are our main allies, but both also have to be regarded as threats to British liberty: Europe because the whole system of the European Union is lacking in openness and democracy. European laws, secretly arrived at, have replaced our open parliamentary democracy. That is a great tragedy. And America is a threat because it is the information superpower, with more data about British people than would ever have been authorised by statute.

Now the United States is being given access to European information on private individuals under a secret agreement that has never been before Parliament. That gives Big Brother an even tighter grip. One has to accept the legitimacy of the US campaign against terrorism, but we must understand the extraordinary power over individuals that data collection has given.

http://newageislam.com/even-spies-are-afraid-of-big-brother-now--orwell-was-right--the-big-brother-state-has-arrived,-even-if-it-has-come-20-years-late/current-affairs/d/252