One of the most commonly used terms of abuse regarding Israel is that it is an “apartheid state.” Images are more powerful than reason; the word ‘apartheid’ conjures up mental pictures of the Sharpeville massacre, signs saying ‘Whites Only.’ Connecting the adjective with Israel immediately makes many assume that the Arabs are treated in the same manner in Israel as non-whites were in South Africa.

But when we look at the facts perhaps reason should lead us to conclude that there should be a different destination for the label ‘apartheid.’

In Israel Arabs are entitled to the same protection under law as Jews. Arabic is an official second language in Israel. Arabs serve in the Israel Defense Force; it is possible for an Arab Muslim to become a commissioned officer in the IDF. It is possible for a Christian Arab female to become a combat soldier in the IDF as Corporal Elinor Joseph has shown. In 2003 the number of Muslim volunteers was 64.5 % higher than in 2000, while the enlistment of Christians increased by 16 % over the same period. A senior source at the IDF’s Personnel Directorate notes that incomplete figures for 2004 show a further increase, at a rate of some 20%, in the enlistment of youth from both sectors.

Jamal Hakroush is a Muslim Israeli, who is also a Deputy Inspector General in the police.

Arabs can be CONTINUED »

A Middle East melt down has begun, ushered in by the lynching of Libyan madman Gadhafi; the violent alteration of alliances and regime in Libya; the inherent tribal, ethnic, ideological and religious fragmentation in that oil rich country; the volatile Arab Street from North Africa to the Persian Gulf; the disintegration of nepotism-based Arab regimes; the artificial boundaries of Arab countries, which exacerbates ethnic and sectarian violence; and the 1,400 years absence of Arab democracy and intra-Arab comprehensive peace and compliance with agreements.

The call for Israel to assume additional risks for peace defies Middle East reality. It is a derivative of the "Arab Spring" delusion, fueling Arab radicalism and terrorism.

According to the astute Arab journalist, Elias Harfoush, "[Recent developments in the Middle East are] closer to a civil war than to a popular revolution….Societies that are supposed to constitute nations are dismantling into tribes, sects and conflicting doctrines…. Libya and Yemen represent two examples of the prototype of internal dismantlement that can eliminate the dream of change. The two countries host a resident state of radicalism called Al-Qaeda. The latter represents a danger to the Western interests and to the interests of the neighboring countries….The so-called Arab Spring has its leaves almost wilting…. There goes Tunisia [Jasmin Revolution] with its citizens flooding the shores of the Italian Lampedusa Island in order to seek a European shelter…."

While Western commentators and politicians are captivated by the delusions of the "Arab Internet Revolt" and the "Arab March of Democracy," the anti-Western Muslim Brotherhood (MB) emerges as a major beneficiary of the Arab Winter, which is toppling anti-MB regimes. Unlike the Khomeini Revolution, the MB is set on a gradual takeover of Egypt and other Arab countries, leveraging the sacrifice by other opposition groups. Focusing on their mission – the global spread of Islam and the defeat of the apostate and the infidel – the Muslim Brotherhood adheres to long-term, patient battles through political and subversive tactics. Iran has recently gained in stature, thawing the frosty relations with Egypt, meddling further in the domestic affairs of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and other Gulf States, and securing two bridgeheads in Gaza (Hamas) and Lebanon (Hezbollah).

Western observers tend to ignore the significance of the 1,400 year old monopoly of Islam over the religious, educational, social and political aspects of every Arab country. Such a repressive monopoly guarantees an Islamic victory in every "democratic" process. The 1979 "freeing" of Iran from the autocracy of the Shah, produced the Khomeini Revolution, a radical, oppressive, megalomaniac Islamic regime. The 2002 election in Turkey yielded the less-radical Islamic regime of the Justice and Development Party, headed by Erdogan, who aspires to head the Islamic World and reinstate the Ottoman Empire.

Furthermore, a fundamental incompatibility exists between liberty-driven Western democracy and liberty-devoid Islam. Arab regimes dread freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of speech, free competition, free press, free Internet and free minds. Therefore, since 2003, US attempts to democratize Iraq have been perceived, by the House of Saud and other pro-US Arab regimes, as a lethal threat. Arab regimes hijack the electoral process, advancing their own tyrannical agenda. In 2006, Condoleezza Rice's insistence upon introducing democracy to Gaza catapulted Hamas terrorists to power. In 1996, Jimmy Carter certified the "electoral" victory of Arafat, who proceeded to launch an unprecedented campaign of terrorism. In 1979, the eagerness to spread democracy led Western leaders to support the Khomeini Revolution. During 1917-1967, a sustained campaign, by the British Empire, to introduce democracy to Arab lands failed decisively.

The “Lead from the Rear” policy of the Obama Administration (which comes down to an inability to lead at all, either on U.S. or Foreign Policy) has exacerbated and enableled terrorist regimes to begin a total Middle East take over. Tunisia and Egypt, having been infiltrated by the terrorist group the Muslim Brotherhood and the terrorist regime of Iran, has all ready announced the implementation of Sharia Law.

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has threatened the U.S. that any attempt to intervene on behalf of the Syrian citizens being murdered in the streets by the Syrian military would lead to an “earthquake” that would crumble the Middle East.

Add to this the vast amount of weapons (including chemical weapons as confirmed by the Libyans) that have been taken by terrorist groups during the uprisings, and the Middle East has become more dangerous than ever.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The “Arab Spring” Delusion

A Middle East melt down has begun, ushered in by the lynching of Libyan madman Gadhafi; the violent alteration of alliances and regime in Libya; the inherent tribal, ethnic, ideological and religious fragmentation in that oil rich country; the volatile Arab Street from North Africa to the Persian Gulf; the disintegration of nepotism-based Arab regimes; the artificial boundaries of Arab countries, which exacerbates ethnic and sectarian violence; and the 1,400 years absence of Arab democracy and intra-Arab comprehensive peace and compliance with agreements.

The call for Israel to assume additional risks for peace defies Middle East reality. It is a derivative of the "Arab Spring" delusion, fueling Arab radicalism and terrorism.

According to the astute Arab journalist, Elias Harfoush, "[Recent developments in the Middle East are] closer to a civil war than to a popular revolution….Societies that are supposed to constitute nations are dismantling into tribes, sects and conflicting doctrines…. Libya and Yemen represent two examples of the prototype of internal dismantlement that can eliminate the dream of change. The two countries host a resident state of radicalism called Al-Qaeda. The latter represents a danger to the Western interests and to the interests of the neighboring countries….The so-called Arab Spring has its leaves almost wilting…. There goes Tunisia [Jasmin Revolution] with its citizens flooding the shores of the Italian Lampedusa Island in order to seek a European shelter…."

While Western commentators and politicians are captivated by the delusions of the "Arab Internet Revolt" and the "Arab March of Democracy," the anti-Western Muslim Brotherhood (MB) emerges as a major beneficiary of the Arab Winter, which is toppling anti-MB regimes. Unlike the Khomeini Revolution, the MB is set on a gradual takeover of Egypt and other Arab countries, leveraging the sacrifice by other opposition groups. Focusing on their mission – the global spread of Islam and the defeat of the apostate and the infidel – the Muslim Brotherhood adheres to long-term, patient battles through political and subversive tactics. Iran has recently gained in stature, thawing the frosty relations with Egypt, meddling further in the domestic affairs of Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and other Gulf States, and securing two bridgeheads in Gaza (Hamas) and Lebanon (Hezbollah).

Western observers tend to ignore the significance of the 1,400 year old monopoly of Islam over the religious, educational, social and political aspects of every Arab country. Such a repressive monopoly guarantees an Islamic victory in every "democratic" process. The 1979 "freeing" of Iran from the autocracy of the Shah, produced the Khomeini Revolution, a radical, oppressive, megalomaniac Islamic regime. The 2002 election in Turkey yielded the less-radical Islamic regime of the Justice and Development Party, headed by Erdogan, who aspires to head the Islamic World and reinstate the Ottoman Empire.

Furthermore, a fundamental incompatibility exists between liberty-driven Western democracy and liberty-devoid Islam. Arab regimes dread freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of speech, free competition, free press, free Internet and free minds. Therefore, since 2003, US attempts to democratize Iraq have been perceived, by the House of Saud and other pro-US Arab regimes, as a lethal threat. Arab regimes hijack the electoral process, advancing their own tyrannical agenda. In 2006, Condoleezza Rice's insistence upon introducing democracy to Gaza catapulted Hamas terrorists to power. In 1996, Jimmy Carter certified the "electoral" victory of Arafat, who proceeded to launch an unprecedented campaign of terrorism. In 1979, the eagerness to spread democracy led Western leaders to support the Khomeini Revolution. During 1917-1967, a sustained campaign, by the British Empire, to introduce democracy to Arab lands failed decisively.

The “Lead from the Rear” policy of the Obama Administration (which comes down to an inability to lead at all, either on U.S. or Foreign Policy) has exacerbated and enableled terrorist regimes to begin a total Middle East take over. Tunisia and Egypt, having been infiltrated by the terrorist group the Muslim Brotherhood and the terrorist regime of Iran, has all ready announced the implementation of Sharia Law.

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has threatened the U.S. that any attempt to intervene on behalf of the Syrian citizens being murdered in the streets by the Syrian military would lead to an “earthquake” that would crumble the Middle East.

Add to this the vast amount of weapons (including chemical weapons as confirmed by the Libyans) that have been taken by terrorist groups during the uprisings, and the Middle East has become more dangerous than ever.

In the early 1990’s, the Chinese watched in fascination at how rapidly the United States defeated Saddam Hussein in the first Gulf War.

They realized there was no way they could meet the technological advanced American military on the conventional battlefield and win. As they studied how the United States had waged its wars, they saw that leaps in technological innovation drove innovation in American military tactics. Not the other way around.

The Chinese considered this quite a profound discovery and began to embrace the idea that in a China versus America military conflict, the inferior China could beat the superior United States. In fact, China’s defense minister, General Chi Haotian, even stated that war with the U.S. was inevitable and that China would not be able to avoid it. He said the key issue for the Chinese armed forces was going to be controlling the initiative- how the war would be fought. It would all come down to how each side approached waging war. China knew exactly what their plan would be. Their blueprint became known as Unrestricted Warfare.

The first and most important rule of Unrestricted Warfare is that there are no rules. Nothing is forbidden. The plan calls for merciless, unconventional out-of-the-box thinking. The key is asymmetrical attacks on every sphere of American life-political, economic, and social.

Using doctrines of leaders like Sun Tzu (The Art of War), they focused on the time proven methods of surprise and deception, particularly by weaponizing civilian technologies and employing them without morality, mercy, or limit in order to crush American society.

What is ‘weaponizing civilian technologies?’ For example, one of the U.S.’s most important technologies is electricity. If electricity were weaponized, meaning an opponent had found a way to use it against the U.S., America would be devastated. Without electricity, fuel doesn’t get pumped, trucks don’t move, food and drugs don’t get delivered, the economy grinds to a halt, society starts to break apart. Fires don’t get extinguished, looting and crime doesn’t get stopped, you pick up the phone to dial 911 and there is no dial tone. Soon there are no police, there are no firemen. All there is, is chaos.

It could be argued that losing the Internet to hackers would have the same as an enemy turning off our electricity, either through widespread sabotage or with an electromagnetic pulse weapon.

The Chinese military leaders who developed the Unrestricted Warfare plan explained that in the realm of low-intensity conflict, the vulnerabilities of the U.S. actually become exponentially more pronounced. In essence, there are multitudes of things that U.S. citizens believe are harmless that a clever enemy could turn against them, and use them to cripple the U.S. in a heartbeat.

The blackout of 2003 hit eight U.S. states and parts of Canada. Not only was power generation and delivery affected, but so were the water supply, transportation, communications, industry, and the overall economy. There was looting. The overall cost was estimated at between 7 to 10 billion dollars. The power outage affected more than 55 million people and was the second most-widespread electrical blackout in history.

Forensic investigation showed that China’s Peoples Liberation Army sponsored hackers had hacked the U.S. electrical power system network that controlled distribution to the Northeast and were mapping it. It has been privately alleged that they were leaving behind hidden, malicious software, known as ‘Trojan Horses,’ that could be activated at a later date, specifically in a time of Unrestricted Warfare, in order to knock American power systems offline. Where it went wrong, supposedly, was that while leaving the ‘Trojan Horses’, some hacker or a group of hackers accidentally activated theirs, causing the blackout.

Subsequent investigations of networks across the U.S. showed widespread compromise of the nationwide electrical system by the Chinese. ‘Trojans’ had been planted everywhere.

At least 11 people died because of the blackout, and it contributed to the fall of the Ontario government in a provincial election. And it only lasted a couple of days.

The impact on national security was just as serious. Without power, critical systems used by the U.S. to detect illegal border crossings, port landings, and breaches of sensitive sites were all compromised. Even more disturbing was the blackout was a neon sign for terrorists, pointing right at one of America’s greatest Achilles’ heels.

The Driving Philosophy Behind Unrestricted Warfare- It is all about positioning yourself for victory. Why meet your enemy sword to sword, where he is the strongest, when you can force him to expose his side, where he is weakest, and strike him there.

Besides weaponizing civilian technologies, Unrestricted Warfare also works to slowly influence U.S. culture with their values via ‘cultural warfare,’ influencing American media.

Cornering and rigging the markets for things America needs, such as oil and rare earth minerals, through ‘resource warfare.’ Joining international bodies like the U.N. Security Council and voting against American resolutions and interests as part of ‘international law warfare.’ Manipulating the value of the dollar and subverting the banking and stock markets via ‘financial warfare.’ The list is multifaceted and it goes on and on. And it includes terrorism.

Many people aren’t aware of when the 9/11 attacks happened, we all saw dancing in the streets of the Muslim world. What we didn’t see, though, was the sheer exuberance displayed by state-controlled Chinese media. They produced video games, books, and documentaries glorifying the violence and calling it a ‘humbling blow against an arrogant nation.’

Many people also don’t know that the Chinese predicted that bin Laden would hit the World Trade Center, and they predicted it 3 years before it happened. U.S. Intelligence also learned that before 9/11, the Chinese military had been providing training to the Afghan Taliban and al Qaeda. The American intelligence apparatus was stunned by this revelation and couldn’t figure out why the Chinese were mixing with Islamic terrorists. It all had to do with ‘Unrestricted Warfare.’

The Chinese wanted to build their own worldwide Islamic terror network that they could unleash against their enemies, particularly the U.S. at will. They developed deep ties with the Taliban in order to develop even deeper ties with al Qaeda. Much as they mapped U.S. electrical networks, they wanted to map existing Islamic terror networks. This is how the Chinese were able to build a terrorism network rivaling al Qaeda.

(A special note of thanks to Brad Thor, former member of the Department of Homeland Security’s Analytic Red Cell Program for the above information.)

"The Wahhabi presence in the United States is a foreboding one that has potententially harmful and far-reaching consequences for our nation's mosques, schools, prisons and even our military. My fear is, if we don't wake up and take action now, those influenced by Wahabbism's extremist ideology will harm us in as of yet unimaginable ways." -U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY)

The Wahhabi sect of Islam is the purest and most violent form of Sunni Islam beliefs. It derives its name from the 18th Century Muslim scholar, Muhammad bin Abd al Wahhab. He taught that true Muslims had to swear loyalty to their religious leader and to follow his teachings in all ways. It also requires that those who wanted to be considered true Muslims must join in jihad (holy war). The objective of this jihad is to convert or kill all non-Muslims, and those who leave Islam. Osama bin Laden is a follower of Wahhabi Islam and founded the terrorist group al Qaeda on Wahhabi beliefs.

A University of South Florida professor and six others have were charged with aiding the terrorist group Islamic Jihad. A Dallas, Texas grand jury in a 42 count indictment, arrested leaders of the 'Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development,' charging its officals with raising more than $12 million dollars to funnel to the terrorist group Hamas. In New York, two Muslim clerics were arrested for alleged connections to al Qaeda and for attempting to purchase a shoulder-fired grenade launcher.

These and many other incidents show how deeply Radical Islam has become imbedded in the U.S. Among the primary suspects under investigation are groups financed by Saudi Arabian interests known to be making huge financial investments in the spread of the extremist Wahhabi Muslim doctrine in America.
Non-Wahhabi Muslim leaders in the United States say that approximately 80 percent of all U.S. mosques are under the control of Wahhabi imams and subsidized by Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have been pouring millions of dollars into creating a system of schools in the U.S., called Madrassas, teaching violent Wahhabi doctrines. The Saudis have also poured millions of dollars into Ivy League and other colleges for the construction of new buildings on their campus' in return for classes and text books that teach the radicalized doctrines of Wahhabi Islam. This method of spreading Radical Islam's goal in the U.S. is called 'Soft Jihad.'

'The Muslim Student Association,' with solid Wahhabi commitments, operates chapters on virtually every major campus in America. It has been in the forefront of organizing and executing anti- Isreal and anti-Western hate campaigns on campuses. A recent high profile example of this was the "The Muslim Student Association' gatering on the campus of UCLA.

The Wahabi's brand of religious militancy is not just a matter of being of its anti-American values, it is a menace to other Muslims who do not wish to embrace the violent methods of Wahhabism. This has been demonstrated by Muslim on Muslim war in Darfur, Sudan,where Wahhabi Muslims glady attack and kill other Muslims whom they deem are not violent enough for their ideology.

With the current Muslim on Muslim violence through out the Middle East, and the fact two American born citizens hold high level positions in al Qaeda and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, recruitment of 'Homegrown Jihadists' in the U.S. is rampant, and our biggest danger of attack is from within the U.S.

Radical Islamists openly declare that world domination is their goal.

Caliphate- The establishment of a global community dominated by Islam and goverened by Sharia Law.

"History will make a new turn Allah willing in the opposite direction against the United States and the world's Jewish government. Due to the blessings of jihad, America's countdown has begun. It will soon declare defeat to be followed by the creation of caliphate."
Ayman al-Zawahiri

The Muslim Brotherhood "Project for North America" is a detailed document discovered in switzerland in 2001. This document became known within the intelligence community as "The Project." It is plan conceived and written by the Muslim Brotherhood, which the world's oldest and most sophisticated Islamic terrorist group created in Egypt in 1928. "The Project" details strategies and tactics by which Islamists can gradually infiltrate nations and ultimately dominate the world with Islamic political and religious ideology.
The War on Terror is a conflict that will not end. America and the West cannot effectively defend itself until the American people understand the nature and ideology of the enemy. Radical islam's grievance is our democratic system, where the rule of law comes from the voices of its citizens and not the voice of one prophet.
They cannot be appeased by apologies for who and what we are. The absolute revolutionary terrorist is a non-negotiable adversary. Compliance and negotiation are viewed as weakness and further encourages them

Last month the Muslim Students of America sponsored a meeting of over 700 students on the campus of UCLA, advocating the overthrow of the U.S. government, that ended with this pledge:
"I pledge Allah is my lord, Quran is my guide, jihad is my spirit, righteousness is my character, and paradise is my goal. I command what is rifgt and forbid what is wrong. I will fight against oppression and will die to establish Islam."
As unrest has sparked in Tunisia, Algeria, Yemen, Bahrain, Syria, and Jordan, the Radical Islamists are seizing the opportunity to ingrain their goal of caliphate deeper and deeper.

Welcome to the Global Issues and Terorism Blog site.
My name is Mark Trimble, I am a retired Law Enforcement Operations/Special Operations Commander. I have spent over a decade researching and studying Radical Islam and Terrorism. I work as an Independant Security Contractor during which time I have traveled to the Middle East to train with and be briefed by Israeli Military Intelligence,Israeli Intelligence, Shin Bet, Israel Defense Forces, and high level members of the Israeli goverment. I have spent time in terrorist controlled areas of Gaza and the West Bank. I have also trained with members of the United States Army Special Operations Forces who have served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The premise of this Blog is to report terrorist activity in the U.S. and Internationally, and to evaluate the threat that activity represents worldwide.
Thank you for taking the time to review the Blog site. I welcome your comments and questions which can be addressed to globalissues@fillmoregazette.com

The Egyptian Revolution and the Muslim Brotherhood

The posture of the protests in Egypt has quickly changed over the past week. The protest movement started out as a legitimate positive pro freedom movement. This movement has been co-opted by the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and turned violent.
The MB was founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna. Its expressed stated purpose was to 1) Implement Sharia Law worldwide, 2) Establish the Global Islamic State (caliphate). Former MB Supreme Guide Muhammed Akef stated in 2004, his "complete faith that Islam will invade Europe and America." In 2001, the MB publication in London, called Risalat al-Ikhwan stated as its cover slogan: "Our Mission:World Domination." The MB has been one of the most anti-Western, jihadist supporting organizations in the Middle East for decades. They believe and have taught that Islam is the only answer, and violent jihad is the way. Osama bin Laden was recruited into the MB by a Syrian school teacher, and his deputy, Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri was also a a part of the Brotherhood until they joined forces to build the terrorist group al-Qaeda, an even more violent and radical Islamist group.

A person who has been been pushed to the forefront to take over leadership in Egypt is Mohamed ElBaradei. He is a Nobel laureate, who was born to a middle class family in Cairo in 1942. He was largely educated in the West. He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Cairo; and he went on to earn an advanced degree in Switzerland and later a Ph.D. in International Law from New York University.
From 1997 to 2009 he was the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is the United Nations nuclear watchdog. During that time the Iranians repeatedly lied to ElBaradei's face about the the development of their nuclear enrichment program. He either allowed the Iranians to lie to him or he did not know the differance. During those 12 years Iran dramatically accelerated their enrichment program in direct violation of U.N. resolutions and international law. Irans stated purpose for development of the nuclear bomb is to destroy Israel and the United States.
ElBaradei never indicated any concern as Iran built three secret nuclear facilities during those years. He seemed to never know or express care over Iran's nuclear ambitions until intelligence agencies called his attention to them.
ElBaradei in an interview with CNN on January 30th, 2011 flatly denied that the Muslim Brotherhood is a fundamentalist Islamic organization, claiming that this was "a myth that was sold by Mubarak (current Egyptian president) regime." He went on to deny that if the Brotherhood gained control of the Egyptian government they wouldn't create a radical Islamic regime that would be similar to what happened in Iran in 1979. In an interview with the German publication, Der Spiegel, ElBraradei said: "We should stop demonizing the Muslim Brotherhood," adding that "they have not committed any acts of violence in five decades. They too want change. If we want democracy and freedom, we have to include them instead of marginalizing them."
Egypt receieves the second most U.S. aid of any country in the Middle East, and their military possesses U.S. weapons.
If ElBaradei is placed in leadership in Egypt, with his history of either being inept or intentionally looking the other way has Iran developed its nuclear enrichment program, this could further destabilize an already fragile Middle Eastern region. He has been an apologist for Iran saying, "building trust" and more "negotiations" will actually stop Iran from getting the bomb and using it for their publically stated intent to destroy the U.S. and Israel.