"Innocence of Muslims" Filmmaker Likely Doesn't Exist, Film May Not Exist

[Wezil]

I've supported his right to free speech but not his alleged parole violation.

If he was court ordered to not access the internet (presumably as a result of having used the internet in a former crime) and he went and did it anyway, I say deport him. A position I hold with all non-native parole violaters. Quite frankly he shouldn't have been so stupid to raise a rucus in such circumstances.

[DaShi]

Considering how scandalized you are by dubbing, I take it you've never seen a kung fu movie in your life.

Kung fu dubbing is a hate crime!

[Kidlicious]

I've supported his right to free speech but not his alleged parole violation.

If he was court ordered to not access the internet (presumably as a result of having used the internet in a former crime) and he went and did it anyway, I say deport him. A position I hold with all non-native parole violaters. Quite frankly he shouldn't have been so stupid to raise a rucus in such circumstances.

The guys a jerk. He's not even a citizen and he's doing that crap. I can't believe anyone would argue that he shouldn't be deported.

[Dr Strangelove]

OK, well here's the problem. We know virtually nothing about him. His past seems to start with his intent to cook Meth conviction in 1997. We know he was born in Egypt, is married, claims to have graduated from an Egyptian arts college and claims to be a Copt. There's nothing about when he came to the US, whether he's naturalized, what he did before 1997 to be found. The fact that he's committed 3 felonies and hasn't been deported makes me think that he must be naturalized. If he's a naturalized citizen he can only be deported if he provided false information on his immigration and naturalization forms, was involved in undisclosed criminal activities either here or in another country prior or at the time of his naturalization, or was an agent of another country at the time of his naturalization.

[Berzerker]

maybe the guy can now claim asylum if we try to deport him

[molly bloom]

It's time for you athiests to follow our lead now.

The first thing of a morning that enters my mind, is who can I despise for not following my world view ?

Then next - which kittens will I torture today ?

That was a tit for tat.

To be polite, I thought it was just more of your brainless Christianista bollox. You were occasionally an ass (not an arse) before you converted but since the whole 'Baby Cheezuss wants me for a sunbeam caper', you've rapidly assumed the status of a tosspot with gigantism issues.


Enjoy:

[kentonio]

Libyans decide they've had enough of the militias.

Benghazi Anti-Militia Protest: Libyans March Against Armed Groups After U.S. Embassy Attack

BENGHAZI, Libya — Tens of thousands of Libyans marched to the gates of one of the country's strongest armed Islamic extremist groups Friday, demanding it disband, as the attack that killed the U.S. ambassador and four other Americans sparked a public backlash against militias that run rampant in the country and defy the country's new, post-Moammar Gadhafi leadership.

For many Libyans, last week's attack on the U.S. Consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi was the last straw with one of the biggest problems Libya has faced since Gadhafi's ouster and death around a year ago – the multiple mini-armies that with their arsenals of machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades are stronger than the regular armed forces and police.

The militias, a legacy of the rag-tag popular forces that fought Gadhafi's regime, tout themselves as protectors of Libya's revolution, providing security where police cannot. But many say they act like gangs, detaining and intimidating rivals and carrying out killings. Militias made up of Islamic radicals are notorious for attacks on Muslims who don't abide by their hardline ideology. Officials and witnesses say fighters from one Islamic militia, Ansar al-Shariah, led the Sept. 11 attack on the Benghazi consulate.

Some 30,000 people filled a broad boulevard as they marched along a lake in central Benghazi on Friday to the gates of the headquarters of Ansar al-Shariah.

"No, no, to militias," the crowd chanted, filling a broad boulevard. They carried banners and signs demanding that militias disband and that the government build up police to take their place in keeping security. "Benghazi is in a trap," signs read. "Where is the army, where is the police?"

Other signs mourned the killing of U.S. Amb. Chris Stevens, reading, "The ambassador was Libya's friend" and "Libya lost a friend." Military helicopters and fighter jets flew overhead, and police mingled in the crowd, buoyed by the support of the protesters.

Several thousand Ansar al-Shariah supporters lined up in front of their headquarters in the face of the crowd, waving black and white banners. There were some small scuffles, but mostly the two sides mingled and held discussions in the square.

The march was the biggest seen in Benghazi, Libya's second largest city and home to 1 million people, since the fall of Gadhafi in August 2011. The unprecedented public backlash comes in part in frustration with the interim government, which has been unable to rein in the armed factions. Many say that officials' attempts to co-opt fighters by paying them have only fueled the growth of militias without bringing them under state control or integrating them into the regular forces.

Residents of another main eastern city, Darna, have also begun to stand up against Ansar al-Shariah and other militias.

The anti-militia fervor in Darna is notable because the city, in the mountains along the Mediterranean coast north of Benghazi, has long had a reputation as a stronghold for Islamic extremists. During the Gadhafi era, it was the hotbed of a deadly Islamist insurgency against his regime. A significant number of the Libyan jihadists who travelled to Afghanistan and Iraq during recent wars came from Darna. During the revolt against him last year, Gadhafi's regime warned that Darna would declare itself an Islamic Emirate and ally itself with al-Qaida.

But now, the residents are lashing out against Ansar al-Shariah, the main Islamic extremist group in the city.

"The killing of the ambassador blew up the situation. It was disastrous," said Ayoub al-Shedwi, a young bearded Muslim preacher in Darna who says he has received multiple death threats because has spoken out against militias on a radio show he hosts. "We felt that the revolution is going in vain."

Al-Shedwi said some were afraid that if they don't act to rein them in, the U.S. will strike against the militias, pushing people to support the gunmen.

Leaders of tribes, which are the strongest social force in eastern Libya, have come forward to demand that the militias disband. Tribal leaders in Benghazi and Darna announced this week that members of their tribes who are militiamen will no longer have their protection in the face of anti-militia protests. That means the tribe will not avenge them if they are killed.

Activists and residents have held a sit-in for the past eight days outside Darna's Sahaba Mosque, calling on tribes to put an end to the "state of terrorism" created by the militias. At the city's main hotel, The Jewel of Darna, tribal figures, activists, local officials and lawmakers have been meeting in recent days to come up with a plan.

"Until when the tribes will remain silent," cried a bearded young man standing on a podium at one such meeting Thursday. "The militias don't recognize the state. The state is pampering them but this is not working anymore. You must act right now." Elders in traditional Libyan white robes stood up and shouted in support.

Militiamen have been blamed for a range of violence in Darna. On the same day Stevens killed in Benghazi, a number of elderly Catholic nuns and a priest who have lived in Darna for decades providing free medical services, were attacked, reportedly beaten or stabbed. There have been 32 killings over the past few months, including the city security chief and assassinations of former officers from Gadhafi's military.

Darna's residents are conservative, but they largely don't fit the city's reputation as extremists. Women wear headscarves, but not the more conservative black garb and veil that covers the entire body and face. In the ancient city's narrow alleys, shops display sleeveless women dresses and the young men racing by in cars blare Western songs.

And many are impatient with Ansar al-Shariah's talk of imposing its strict version of Islamic law. The group's name means "Supporters of Shariah Law."

"We are not infidels for God sake. We have no bars, no discos, we are not practicing vice in the street," said Wassam ben Madin, a leading activist in the city who lost his right eye in clashes with security forces on the first day of the uprising against Gadhafi. "This is not the time for talk about Shariah. Have a state first then talk to me about Shariah."

"If they are the `supporters of Shariah' then who are we?" he said. "We don't want the flag of al-Qaida raised over heads," he added, referring to Ansar al-Shariah's black banner.

One elder resident at the Sahaba Mosque sit-in, Ramadan Youssef, said, "We will talk to them peacefully. We will tell them you are from us and you fought for us" during the civil war against Gadahfi. But "if you say no (to integrating into the) police and army, we will storm your place. It's over."

Officials in the interim government and security forces say they are not strong enough to crack down on the militias. The armed factions have refused government calls for them to join the regular army and police.

So the government has created a "High Security Committee" aimed at grouping the armed factions as a first step to integration. Authorities pay fighters a salary of as much as 1,000 dinars, around $900, to join – compared to the average police monthly salary of around $200. However, the militias that join still do not abide by government authority, and critics say the lure of salaries has only prompted more militias to form.

Officials and former rebel commanders estimate the number of rebels that actually fought in the 8-month civil war against Gadhafi at around 30,000. But those now listed on the High Security Committee payroll have reached several hundred thousand.

"All these militia and entities are fake ones but it is mushrooming," said Khaled Hadar, a Benghazi-based lawyer. "The government is only making temporarily solutions, but you are creating a disaster."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1903846.html

[Wezil]

That is a very hopeful sign.

[Hauldren Collider]

Makes me slightly more optimistic about Libya's chances, but I still contend that it's not likely that the place will turn out well for a while.

I would like nothing more than to be wrong about this.

[Wezil]

It didn't start out well.

CNN is reporting they (the locals, not CNN) have stormed the compound and freed prisoners. No casualties.

[kentonio]

It didn't start out well.

CNN is reporting they (the locals, not CNN) have stormed the compound and freed prisoners. No casualties.

Which is awesome, although now I can't help but wish CNN had done it.

[Hauldren Collider]

Yes. Wolf Blitzer needs a new war to be stuck in the middle of.

[Uncle Sparky]

I don't think anyone posted this yet. It looks like the new Egyptian government is out to settle some old scores -

A Coptic Christian activist say he fears for his family's safety after being accused of playing a role in the notorious anti-Islam film that has sparked violence throughout the Muslim world.

Nader Fawzy, speaking at a news conference in Toronto on Saturday, said he has been the target of threats emanating from Egypt over the Innocence of Muslims trailer released on the internet over the summer.

Fawzy has long been an activist for Egypt's Coptic Christian community, which makes up one-tenth of that country's population.

Fawzy said his name appeared in a published list of people involved in the film, an action he says amounts to a fatwa, or religious edict.

He told reporters on Saturday he believes the Egyptian government put his name on the list out of revenge for his work as a Coptic activist.

“Once there is a fatwa, you don’t know who is coming to kill you, to shoot you," he said. "It’s not just about the Egyptian government anymore. There is no safety at all. Once the fatwa is published, anyone can come to kill me or my kids or my family in Egypt.”

The Egyptian government has issued arrest warrants for both Fawzy and another Egyptian-born Canadian, Jacques Attalla of Montreal, claiming they were involved in the film. Both Coptic Christians deny having anything to do with it.

From the CBC.

[kentonio]

Cue Zevico in 5..4..3..2..

[Uncle Sparky]

And from our good friends and allies in Pakistan -

Islamabad, Pakistan • A Cabinet minister on Saturday offered a $100,000 reward for the death of the person behind the anti-Islam video made in the United States that has roiled Muslims around the world, drawing fresh criticism of the Pakistan government’s handling of the crisis.

A day after violent protests paralyzed Pakistan’s largest cities, leaving 23 people dead and more than 200 injured, Railways Minister Ahmed Ghulam Bilour said he would personally finance a bounty aimed at the maker of the crude, low-budget video at the core of the controversy.

Furthermore, Bilour told reporters in his home city, Peshawar, he would approve of al-Qaida or Taliban militants carrying out the assassination. "I also invite Taliban and al-Qaida brothers to be partners in this noble deed," Bilour said, according to news reports.

His comments offered fresh ammunition to critics of the coalition government, which declared a public holiday Friday to facilitate what it hoped would be peaceful protests, calling it a "Day of Love for the Prophet Muhammad."...

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/5...tests.html.csp

At least our allies are with us unlike our enemies in Iran.