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Note from Laura: I've been asked to make the link to the cartoons of the Prophet Mohamed including the one showing Mohamed with a bomb under his turban, as published in Denmark, more noticable. They can be accessed at: Islam and Cartoon Physics.

February 10, 2006: Hello Pot? This is Kettle...

The headline on the website of the Council for American Islamic Relations says “Free Speech Doesn’t Mean Spreading Hatred”.

Hello!

They go on to say:

“Just because one has the legal right to say something doesn’t mean it should be said or it is the right thing to say. In a free society, we can publish speech that humiliates, slanders, and incites hate. But should we? Freedom of speech should not be used as a license to spread hatred.“

Dude, we’ve been trying to tell you this all along.

It has been said that Freedom of Speech is a double edged sword.

The Muslim community just got a nice little nick from that sword, and it looks like it may have been in a sensitive spot? Do I detect a bris here?

You’re 100% right. Just because you have the legal right to say something doesn’t mean you should. Just because you have the legal right to call for the murder of infidels, and to shout your support for suicide bombers doesn’t mean you should.

What in the heck kind of message do you think Muslim leaders like Osama Bin Laden, Ayman Zawahiri , Abu Hamza al Masri, and Abu Musa’ab al Zarqawi? I’ll give you a hint: it’s NOT a message of peace and good will towards all men.

The author of the article, Columbus OH pediatrician Asma Mobin-Uddin, went on to say:

In December 2005, when Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the Holocaust a myth, his comments were censured and condemned around the world, and rightly so.

Remember Parvez Ahmed? He’s the is the CAIR official who demanded that President Bush refrain from using the word “Radical Islam” and others in his State of the Union Address. The President ignored the request.

In a second article on the CAIR website, Parvez Ahmed says:

At the core of the reactions in the Muslim world are fears about Western motives, bolstered by lack of redress of ongoing grievances.

Right. The Iranian president got trashed in the media. But no one went out and burned embassies, attacked people, murdered religious leaders, or arrested those who reprinted his quotes.

The media basically said Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinzhad was a raving lunatic who didn’t have enough sense to come in out of a shower of rain. But nobody got killed because Iran’s president said stupid things.

That’s the difference.

The reason this so-called clash of civilizations is happening is because some bright soul in the Islamic community got the idea of using our civil liberties as a weapon against us.

Freedom for you to say and do as you like means that the other person, with the opposing view has the right to do and say as he likes. That’s why Islamic clerics still get away with preaching jihad in the mosques of America and Europe. That’s why member of CAIR can get away with making statements of support for terrorist organizations.

It’s because the minute you start infringing on the freedoms of those who disagree with you, when you deprive them of the same rights that you enjoy, freedom ceases to exit.

I suggest you learn to deal with opposition. You’re going to get a lot of it.

And in the meantime, dudes, I suggest you remember the old story about the pot calling the kettle black.

IAEA Diplomats Say Iran Has Blueprints for Suspected Nuclear Test Site

A report from Agence France Press claims that Iran has the plans for building a nuclear test site.

According to the report:

Iran has design drawings for building a 400-metre (more than 1,300 feet) deep shaft that is clearly for underground, possibly nuclear, weapons testing, diplomats told AFP Wednesday (8 February).
But the diplomats said there were no indications that Iran, which experts believe is years away from being able to build an atomic bomb, has constructed or plans to build such a site.
The document was part of US intelligence which has been made available to the UN nuclear watchdog and which has been presented to Iran, said a diplomat, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.

The complete article has been sent to subscribers of Strategic Translations.

Iranian Group Warns West 'Very Fragile' Against Muslims' 'Fiery Wrath'

The Headquarters for Honouring Martyrs of Islam's Global Movement (HHMIGM), by issuing a statement, has warned that the Western world will be very fragile in the face of the Muslims' fiery wrath.

The statement also announced that the Muslim peoples' confrontation against those who offend Islamic sanctities shall not be limited to the current level; and (added) the more the world of infidels and ignorance perseveres with its violation and stubbornness, the more terrifying the tumultuous awakening of the Muslims will become.

A translation of the complete article has been sent to subscribers of Strategic Translations.

The Associated Press photo above shows the UPS plane in flames on the runway in Philadephia

February 8, 2006: Posting on extremist website takes credit for downing UPS plane in Philadephia Credibility of posting in question

A posting on a password protected message board frequented by self-described Al Qaeda supporters this morning claims credit for an early morning incident involving a UPS cargo plane at the Philadelphia Airport.

In accordance with our policy, the posting has been reported to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.

It must be stressed that there is no way to ascertain the credibility of the post. The individual who made the posting has been did not use a newly registered ID, but there were only a handful of previous posts made by this individual in the past. However, please note that the jihadis have taken credit for many incidents which they have had nothing to do with. They even took credit for Hurricane Katrina.

Law enforcement contacts stressed that there was no reason to suspect terrorism as the cause of the incident.

The posting claimed that the plane was downed in retaliation for the publication of Danish anti-Muslim cartoons in a Philadelphia newspaper.

According to UPS, the fire started in the cargo hold on a regularly scheduled Atlanta to Philadelphia cargo flight.

February 8, 2006: The Mohamed Cartoon Tsunami

February 8, 2006: Coming to America: Dyab Abou Jahjah to speak at PSM Conference at Georgetown

The man, photo shown above, whose website posted a cartoon showing Adolf Hitler in bed with Anne Frank is one of the speakers at the upcoming Palestinian Solidarity Movement conference at Georgetown University.

According to an email received from one of the organizers, Dyab Abou Jahjah will be one of the speakers at the conference, scheduled for February 17-19 at Georgetown University.

Abou Jahjah, who, in an interview with Flemish newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, said "I consider every death of an American, British or Dutch soldier as a victory," is also a strong advocate of the implementation of Islamic Shari’a law in Europe.

Even the state-run news agency IRNA seems to approve of Abou Jahjah’s statements. In October 2005, they quoted his comments in defense of Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinezhad statements calling for Israel to be wiped off the map:

The president of the Arab-European League (AEL), Dyab Abou Jahjah, says the statement made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Israel is "intellectually defendable."
"The commentaries of the Iranian president that the Zionist entity (Israel) will be wiped out of the map may not be the smartest move in a strategic moment when Iran is trying to resist efforts by the US to isolate it. Nevertheless, the foundation of Mr. Ahmadinejad's reasoning is intellectually defendable, and despite the fact that his regime is no perfect example of political morality, I argue that his position on this matter is the only possible moral one," wrote Abou Jahjah in an article published on the AEL's website.

Why is Georgetown University allowing a man, who called the 9-11 attacks “sweet revenge”, and considers the destruction of the State of Israel as the “only moral option”, being allowed to speak at this conference?

Why is he even being allowed to enter this country?

More on the Cartoon Jihad...

February 8, 2006: Cartoon Jihad Hits New Lows: Arab European League Continues to Bottom Feed

They didn't like the cartoon above, among others. So instead of protesting peacefully, some elements in the Muslim world have chosen to burn embassies and consulates in violent protests, showing us what good peace loving citizens they are.

This group, the Arab European League had taken a different route, but in doing so the cartoon jihad continues to hit new lows, with this morning’s cartoon from the Arab European League. The AEL, a group of Muslims located in Belgium with offices also in The Netherlands, has decided to hit back with cartoons of their own.

Please note that I am not displaying the cartoons on this page, because they will be offensive to most. However, I am including links to a page containing the cartoons.

This morning's cartoon features two frames. The first shows a big, burly African man standing next to a doctor, who tells him to “go easy on her”. The second frame shows an emaciated African woman lying across a medical examination table. The doctor tells her “We think we’ve found the remedy so you’d be able to feel again.”

As a side note, the reaction to this cartoon has been interesting. Based upon the comments posted about the cartoon on various message boards, it appears that those in the West are interpreting the cartoon to mean that the woman is about to be raped.

But comments from the Arabic language message boards are finding a different message in the cartoon. One comment pretty much sums up the comments made by the posters, most apparently men, on the jihadi board: “The doctors know that a real man can cure it and they are sending a real man, a mohahid in, to show her”.

This cartoon shows two businessmen arguing next to a pile of bones labeled “Auswitch”. One man says “We have to get the Goooo somehow!” The second man looks at the pile of bones and says “I don’t think they are Jews.”

Over the past few days the group has posted a series of cartoons that by almost any standards would be considered offensive. So far we’ve seen the following cartoons:

This cartoon featured an emaciated Anne Frank in bed with Adolph Hitler. Hitler tells Frank to “Write this one in your Diary”.

This cartoon appears to be poking fun at Gay marriage. It shows what appears to be a wedding between a woman and a donkey. The man performing the ceremony says “I declare you um? Huban… Animal and wife.”

This cartoon showing Steven Spielberg on the phone asking for help on his new project titled “Holocaust”. The response: “I don’t think I have that much of imagination Stevem sorry.”

The cartoons are being served on from a webserver based in California, on IP address 67.15.14.50 which is assigned to Everyone’s Internet, a webhost that has previously been associated with terrorist websites.

The site keywords are as follows:

AEL, Arab European League, Abou Jahjah, Dyab, Antwerp, struggle, islamic, muslim, Arabisch Europese Liga

The website is registered to Dyab Abou Jahjah as shown in the whois record below:

Domain ID:D50965824-LROR
Domain Name:ARABEUROPEAN.ORG
Created On:03-Jan-2001 14:15:04 UTC
Last Updated On:16-Jan-2006 20:17:58 UTC
Expiration Date:03-Jan-2009 14:15:04 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:Intercosmos Media Group Inc. (R48-LROR)
Status:CLIENT DELETE PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Status:CLIENT UPDATE PROHIBITED
Registrant ID:ODN-439004
Registrant Name:Dyab Abou Jahjah
Registrant Organization:Arab European League
Registrant Street1:Herentalsebaan 442
Registrant Street2:
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:Antwerpen
Registrant State/Province:Not Applicable
Registrant Postal Code:2100
Registrant Country:BE
Registrant Phone:+32.032499260503

The website includes a prominent link to StopTheWall.org, and is actively promoting the Divestment project.

One organizer of the upcoming Palestinian Solidarity Movement conference at Georgetown University confided in an email to supporters that they expect Abou Jahjah to attend and speak at their February conference.

February 7, 2006: Self Flagellation to the Extreme

by Laura Mansfield

If you were in Iran this week, you would almost certainly witness processions down the streets of the cities, with the marchers beating themselves bloody with whips and chains. This is how Ashura is celebrated in modern-day Iran. (This year, Ashura will be celebrated on Thursday, February 9.)

The holiday of Ashura, falls on the tenth day of the month of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. The word Ashura literally translates as “tenth”. It commemorates the death of the Imam Hussein at the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD.

In many ways, the recent behavior of Iran’s President appears to be self-flagellating to the extreme. Perhaps some insight into his behavior can be gleaned from a look at the Ashura holiday, and the history behind it.

When the Prophet Mohamed died, he had no male heirs; his only surviving child was a daughter, named Fatima. Without a clear line of succession, the “Companions of the Prophet” (his closest friends and relatives) agreed that Abu Bakr would succeed Mohamed as the leader of the Islamic Ummah, or community.

Abu Bakr was also the father of Mohamed’s child bride, Aisha, and had also been appointed as interim leader by Mohamed during his final illness. The Companions of the prophet, by acclaim, agreed that Abu Bakr would be the Khaliah, or “successor” to Mohamed.

So Abu Bakr took over the reigns of leadership, become the first Caliph in Islam.

But Abu Bakr was an older man, and his caliphate would be brief. To ensure a peaceful and orderly succession, Abu Bakr appointed Omar (sometimes spelled Umar or Amr) as his successor. Under the leadership of Omar, the quickly growing Islamic Empire expanded from the Arabian Peninsula into Syria, Egypt, Iraq, and Persia.

Omar ruled for ten years; after his death, a council was convened consisting of the Companions of the Prophet to elect his successor. Uthman was elected.

But although Uthman was able to add Armenia and Libya to the Empire, there were problems at home; he was accused of favoritism. Uthman was eventually killed.

By then, Ali, the son of Mohamed’s daughter Fatima, was of age, and he was appointed Caliph. But his caliphate was challenged by Muawiyah, the governor of Syria, who claimed that Ali had been placed on the throne by those responsible for the murder of Uthman. The ensuring power struggle eventually resulted in a split of Islam, with those who would eventually become known as the Shi’ite supporting Ali and his descendents as the rightful leaders of the Islamic empire, and a second group known as the Sunni’s who supported the election of the caliph.

The Prophet’s grandson Ali supported dwindled, and after his murder in 661, his supporters appointed Ali’s son Hassan as Caliph. Meanwhile, Muawiyah had been named Caliph in Jerusalem, and Hassan eventually gave up his claim to the throne, and was eventually killed as well.

Hassan’s brother Hussein led a small group of fighters to try and avenge the death of his brother Hassan and to retake the Caliphate from Muawiyah. Hussein and his followers were quickly overcome in 680 AD at the Battle o Karbala, in modern-day Iraq.

The death of Hussein continues to be commemorated each year among the Shi’ite Muslims on the anniversary of the battle, Ashura, the tenth day of Muharam.

In modern-day Iran, the anniversary is commemorated with processions of the male faithful, who march down the streets beating themselves. They commonly use whips with sharp ends and sometimes even small knives, to cause physical pain. The believers feel that only through severe physical pain and bleeding can the show the pain that was caused for the Muslim Ummah when Hussein died.

In recent years, the Ashura festivities among the Shi’ite in Iraq have been marked by violent attacks and bombings against the celebrants.

Which brings us back to Ahmadinezhad. As he continues his path of self distruction, much to the disdain of the world, baiting superpowers and hurling insults along the way. His repeated taunts of the US and Israel, including calling for Israel to be wiped from the map, combined with his comtempt and defiance of the International Atomic Energy Association with the resumption of uranium enrichment appear designed to provoke some sort of reaction.

This year, it appears that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinezhad may very well be perpetrating some sort of bizarre self-flagellation ritual, in an attempt to usher in the Messianic era that he believes in.

It's almost as if he wants the US and Israel to punish Iran.

February 7, 2006: Iran's President: Europe's leaders are “prisoners of a bunch of blood-sucking Zionists"

by Laura Mansfield

The madman of Tehran, Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinezhad, is now accusing the leaders of Europe as “prisoners of a bunch of blood-sucking Zionists”.

This statement was reported in Persian on the state-run news agency IRNA in Tehran. But unlike most of the bizarre statements Ahmadinezhad has made recently, IRNA is not reporting the statements in English.

A comparison of the English and Farsi language coverage of the statements made at the book awards ceremony shows the duplicity:

IRNA's Persian service quotes Ahmadinezhad as saying, while referring to the leaders of those countries who had justified the "insults" of the cartoons on the grounds of freedom of expression: "You are prisoners of a bunch of blood-sucking Zionists. Otherwise, if there was (true) freedom of expression in your countries, you would have allowed expressions about the rights of the Palestinians."

But the English language service reports that the president told those at a book awards ceremony that those who resorted to "desecration of sanctities and tarnishing the illuminating domain of the prophets had embarked on retrospective path of ignorance and misery of the dark medieval style reactionaries."

Until now Iran has not been shy about reporting the racist and hate-filled statements spewed by its president. It’s curious to see that in this case, they have broken the pattern.

February 7, 2006: Hyundai Engineering To Arrange Muslim Prayer Room In Headquarters

According to a report on Yonhap, Hyundai Engineering has agreed to establish a special Muslim prayer room in its headquarters to accommdate the needs of Muslims visiting their offices. The report follows:

SEOUL, Feb. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's leading builder Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. said Tuesday it plans to arrange a Muslim prayer room in its headquarters by March for its customers from the Middle East.
The decision comes in response to requests from businessmen from the region to have a proper space for daily prayers, the company said.
"Since we usually have visitors from Islamic nations, we've decided to arrange a prayer room for them out of respect for their religious activities," President Lee Ji-song said.
Ten officials from the state-run Kuwait National Petroleum Co. are now in Seoul and about 10 more from the National Petrochemical Co. of Iran are expected to arrive in May, the company said.
Hyundai Engineering has ongoing construction projects in the Middle Eastern nations of Iran, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Libya and Saudi Arabia, the company said.
Last year, the builder won orders worth of US$2.6 billion from the region, which account for about 30 percent of the total overseas orders, the company said.
(Description of Source: Seoul Yonhap in English -- Semiofficial news agency of the ROK. URL: http://www.yonhapnews.net/Engservices/3000000000.html)

February 7, 2006: "Musharraf survived rocket attack in Quetta"

KARACHI: Balochistan Governor Owais Ghani on Monday (6 February) revealed a rocket attack was made on President Gen Pervez Musharraf during his recent visit to Quetta. He told newsmen during a press conference: "Rocket was fired when the president was visiting Quetta Garrison on Dec 14. It landed just 200 yards away from the president," the governor said. "Despite this attack, President Musharraf flew to Kohlu and announced Rs 1.5 billion development package for the area. In Kohlu too, the president was attacked by rockets," the governor added.

February 6, 2006: Iran Calls For OIC Emergency Session To Discuss 'Islamophobia'

I don't suppose it's ever entered their minds that Islamists flying planes into buildings, blowing up hotels, bombing mass transit, and attacking embassies just might have something to do with the growing "Islamaphobia".

Tehran, Feb 6, IRNA -- Iran on Monday called on foreign ministers of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to hold an emergency session to discuss Islamophobia in West.
Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki made the request in a letter to Yemen's Foreign Affairs Minister Abubakr al-Qirbi who is rotatory chairman of the OIC foreign ministers.
"Unfortunately, Islamophobia is currently spreading in Europe in different forms and at an alarming speed.
"Insult to Islamic values and Muslims' sanctity in the West has been now turned into a main challenge facing the Islamic nations now. It is vital to seriously confront this challenge," Mottaki said.
Pointing to the OIC duties, he added, "Campaign against Islamophobia is among the main priorities of the OIC's 10-year programs. This issue (Islamophobia) is currently taking place in certain Western states and in certain cases it involves officials of those states.
"Given the new approach of the OIC towards insult to Muslims' sanctity and the sensitivity of the issue, I propose foreign ministers of the OIC hold an emergency session to discuss various aspects of recent aggressions and adopt an appropriate decision.
Mottaki wrote, "It is hoped that timely action of the OIC and ts firm stance against enemies' Islamophobia will result in their setback and promotion of Islamic solidarity."
He referred to the blasphemous moves and well-calculated plots hatched by certain European states against Islamic beliefs and said, "Disrespect for holy prophet of Islam, which received wide media coverage later, provoked the outrage and strong sentiments of millions of Muslims."
(Description of Source: Tehran IRNA (Internet Version-WWW) in English -- official state-run news agency)

February 6, 2006: PA: Al-Aqsa Brigade Chief Blames German Teacher's Abduction on Local 'Lunatic'

This is an interesting report - now the terrorists are distancing themselves from a kidnapping, claiming that the kidnapper was mentally ill and was not acting on their behalf even though he was a member of the group.

"We are not the kidnappers," he explained in a telephone interview with, "we are the liberators. The man who abducted that German guy is admittedly one of our men but he is sick, he suffers from mental illness, he cannot think straight. As soon as we were told of his escapade, we got on his tail and we resolved the whole affair. The guilty party will now be punished in accordance with our rules."

Jerusalem -- The leaders of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, the armed wing of Fatah that is spearheading the protest, do not seem so determined to link their name to the anti-European threats any longer. This, especially since their competitors in Hamas have deprived them of the leadership of the protest while marking their distance from all forms of violence and offering to defend the Catholic schools and churches in Gaza that have come under threat from the Islamic Jihad and from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades themselves. Thus Gaza's "brigadiers" yesterday showed up outside the school and the church of the Holy Family, threatened with destruction, and handed out sweets and drinks to Catholic nuns, priests, and teachers. (passage omitted)
The same change of atmosphere can be perceived in Nabulus, the turbulent city on the West Bank where the Brigades had kidnapped and immediately released a young German teacher on Thursday evening (2 February). Nasr Abu Aziz, the Al-Aqsa Brigades' number three with whom I met two weeks ago in the very same Hotel Jasmine where the abduction took place, now denies any responsibility in the affair.
"We are not the kidnappers," he explained in a telephone interview with, "we are the liberators. The man who abducted that German guy is admittedly one of our men but he is sick, he suffers from mental illness, he cannot think straight. As soon as we were told of his escapade, we got on his tail and we resolved the whole affair. The guilty party will now be punished in accordance with our rules."
Having resolved the affair of the abduction and having put behind him the threats to kidnap any European setting foot in the city, Nasr Abu Aziz now claims to be a strenuous defender of law and order: "Of course we feel insulted (by Danish Muhammad cartoons); we are angry in our capacity as Muslims, but we cannot forget that we are members of the Palestinian Authority's security forces; we are a militant force but we defend law and order."
Not even reminding him that the Hotel Jasmine is his gang's favorite meeting place could force him to admit to being to blame in any way. "We were not at the Hotel Jasmine that evening; there was only that lunatic guy; but if you do not believe me, come to Nabulus, come back to see us and you will see... As long as we are around, the law here in Nabulus will be the same for the Palestinians and for you foreigners."
(Description of Source: Milan Il Giornale in Italian -- right-of-center daily owned by the Berlusconi family)

February 3, 2006: World to Terrorists: Busted!

“What do they wish to communicate when they depict the Prophet's turban as a bomb? They only intend to insinuate that we (Muslims) are either supporters of terrorism or ruthless.”

That’s the question that Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani asked his sermon delivered today during Friday prayers at Tehran University.

He goes on to say “Despite the many Koranic verses on the importance of compassion and care, the unfair Western media try to distort the compassionate Islam as a ruthless religion.”

This is getting tiring. Has he not read the Qu’ran? Is he not familiar with the many surah’s that call or violence against non-Muslims? Did he miss this surah?

Continue reading...

Iran: Rafsanjani Warns IAEA Against 'Mistake,' Says Cartoons Part of 'Overall Plan'

February 3, 2006: Ferry carrying 1300+ passengers sinks between Saudi Arabia and Egypt

This morning, a ferry bound from Dubah, Saudi Arabia to Safaga, Egypt, disappeared from radar and is believed to have sunk. Initial reports indicate that over 1300 passengers were on board.

I have spoken with sources in Cairo and they tell me that this is almost certainly not a terror incident. The ship apparantly went down too fast for it to be terrorism. My sources tell me that they have retrieved at least one lifeboat with a handful of survivors and the preliminary indications from those interviews do not indicate any kind of terror attack.

There was pretty bad weather in the area, and the ship was packed to capacity. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that it was overloaded.

Although some of the passengers were returning from Haj, most of the passengers were Egyptians who were working in Saudi Arabia.

Based on what I have seen personally of these ferries, they are usually overloaded, poorly maintained, and the passengers are by and large poor laborers from the lower social strate. Most Egyptians from that social class don't know how to swim; and Egyptian ships aren't known for their access to life jackets or life boats for that matter.

February 1, 2006: Islam and Cartoon Physics

January 31, 2006: CAIR to President Bush: Don’t say 'Islamo-fascism,' 'militant jihadism'

Authorities shut down Nashville interstate to investigate SUV

30 January 2006: American hostage Jill Carroll in tears in new video on Al Jazeera

30 January 2006: Zawahiri: alive and making threats!

27 January 2006: Zawahiri: Dead or Alive. An analysis of last weekend's tape

27 January 2006: They've told us who they are. Why won't we listen?

26 January 2006: HAMAS: What does their charter say?

26 January 2006: “With great power comes great responsibility…”

26 January 2006: HAMAS flag raised over Palestinian parliament building

26 January 2006: HAMAS wins elections in "Palestine"

26 January 2006: Iranian Daily: Palestinian Hamas Opens Persian Website

Russia: Russian Analysts on Possible Scenarios of US-Israeli Attack on Iran

January 23, 2006: Thoughts on Osama Bin Laden tape of January 18, 2006

Issue 13 of Ansar al Sunnah magazine gets graphic about their feelings for America

January 16, 2006: Guess who’s coming to dinner?

Inshallah

Inshallah: My journey into the world of Islam, and my escape

Laura's newest book - JUST RELEASED

The Beginning

A cacophony of sounds wrenched me from a sound sleep into that semi coherent state between sleep and wakefulness. The disorientation was brief. It was my first morning in Cairo, Egypt, and although I knew I was embarking on an adventure, I had no clue of the dark twists that my trek would take me on, deep into the bowels of Islamic fundamentalism. I didn’t realize that I had fallen into a rabbit hole reminiscent of that which Alice found herself in. That realization would come about an hour later.

For the moment, I only knew that I was halfway around the world, in an apartment on the 13th floor of a building at the beginning of the long wide thoroughfare that led from downtown Giza to the Pyramids. For a girl raised in the deep south, it was quite a contrast.

I grew up in a town of 8,000 people. From the sounds of things outside my window, it seemed that at least that many cars were on the street below my bedroom, all honking their horns in a discordant melody.

My husband was still sleeping peacefully. How in the heck could he sleep with all this noise? There was no chance of going back to sleep, so I decided to go take a shower.

That was my first adventure of the day! I’ll be gracious when speaking of the bathroom – if I had walked into a bathroom like this in any restroom anywhere in the United States I would have walked out and decided to just “hold it”. Clearly that wasn’t an option here. If my single experience with a bathroom at the Cairo Airport was any indication, this might be the Hilton of Egyptian bathrooms.

Continue reading...

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