Free Republic

President Barack Obama said on Sunday there were important risks to consider before any military strike against Iran and made clear he does not want to see more conflict in the oil-producing Gulf region. In a television interview, Obama also said he did not believe Tehran had the "intentions or capabilities" to attack the United States, playing down the threats from Tehran and saying he wanted a diplomatic end to the nuclear standoff. "Any kind of additional military activity inside the Gulf is disruptive and has a big effect on us. It could have a big effect on oil prices....

Yukiya Amano says Iran has failed to clarify its atomic development activities to the satisfaction of the United Nations nuclear watchdog body -- and now it's his job to warn the world about its possible military intentions. Amano, chief of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency, said Thursday in an interview with the German-language Financial Times Deutschland an IAEA delegation will press Iran for "full cooperation" in meetings with officials in Tehran. "What we know suggests the development of nuclear weapons," FTD quoted the IAEA chief as saying "We want to check over everything that could have a military...

"All-American Muslim," a new program on The Learning Channel that is being touted as a "powerful series" that carries viewers "inside the rarely seen world of American Muslims," is being dropped by advertisers. Critics say the program is nothing more than video jihad propaganda, and the Florida Family Association says it is contacting companies whose advertising appears on the show to ask them to quit. So far, 18 of 20 companies contacted have done so, the group said. The organization said that among the companies that initially supported the program, but later did not have any advertising aired, were Airborne...

Members of the group 'Muslims against Crusades' hold placards as they gather during an anti-U.S. rally, held close to the memorial ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of the September 11 U.S. attacks at the Memorial Garden, adjacent to the U.S. Embassy in central London, Sunday Sept. 11, 2011.

I've never been more convinced that Israel is the axis on which Islamic jihad turns than after reading four, clarifying pages of Bat Ye'or's new book, "Europe, Globalization, and the Coming Universal Caliphate" (Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 212 pp.). Ye'or asks. "Given the immense territories conquered and Islamized over thirteen centuries of expansion and war," she writes, "why would Muslim countries keep plotting to destroy Israel? ... Why is Israel considered so alarming?" ...........hide the age-old reason. "What Israel possesses," Ye'or explains, "is the Bible." To appreciate this explanation, it's essential to realize that Jewish and Christian Bible characters, from...

A MUSLIM actress has caused a storm by posing naked for Playboy. Sila Sahin has been branded a "whore" and a "western slut" after appearing topless on the cover of the German edition of the men's magazine. And Islamic fanatics have posted threatening internet messages. Sila, raised in Germany by conservative Turkish parents, says she fears being "spat at" and "shamed". Her parents are said to have reacted with "horror" at the 12-page coverage, and her mother has apparently cut off all contact. Sila, 25 - star of German soap Good Times, Bad Times - claimed the shoot was a...

This confrontation is particularly acute in Dagestan. Here, Salafis, who believe in a return to the teachings of early leaders of the Muslim faith, face off against Sufis, who are supported by the official Spiritual Board of Muslims. There is intolerance on both sides. In Makhachkala, the Dagestani capital, a Salafi woman dressed in a hijab and floor-length tunic showed me a recording on her cell phone of Sheikh Said-Afandi, one of the republic's most revered Sufi leaders. "Disgusting," she said, as she watched scores of the sheikh's murids (followers) lining up to kiss his hands. "No man should make...

A "Black Widow" suicide bomber planned a terrorist attack in central Moscow on New Year's Eve but was killed when an unexpected text message set off her bomb too early, according to Russian security sources. The unnamed woman, who is thought to be part of the same group that struck Moscow's Domodedovo airport on Monday, intended to detonate a suicide belt on a busy square near Red Square on New Year's Eve in an attack that could have killed hundreds. Security sources believe a spam message from her mobile phone operator wishing her a happy new year received just hours...

Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, the first former Guantánamo Bay camp detainee to be tried in the civilian court system, was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday for his role in the 1998 bombings of two United States Embassies in East Africa. The nearly simultaneous attacks in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killed 224 people and wounded thousands. Mr. Ghailani, 36, was convicted on Nov. 17 of a single count of conspiracy to destroy government buildings and property, while being acquitted of more than 280 charges of murder and conspiracy. But the many acquittals seemed to carry little weight...

That’s the president’s best Approval Index rating since February 1, 2010, nearly a full year ago. Strong Disapproval among Republicans is down to 55%. Among all voters, Strong Disapproval of the president has been consistently lower since mid-December… Overall, 52% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the president’s performance. That’s his highest level of total approval in fifteen months, since October 2009. The president earns approval from 84% of Democrats and 48% of unaffiliated voters. Among all voters, 47% disapprove.

(CNN) -- The trial of a New York television executive accused of beheading his wife starts Tuesday. Authorities learned about the incident in February 2009 when Muzzammil Hassan went to a police station in the Buffalo, New York, suburb of Orchard Park and told officers his wife was dead, police have said. Hassan, who founded a TV network aimed at countering Muslim stereotypes, took officers to the network's office where officers found the decapitated body of his wife, Aasiya Hassan. Hassan has pleaded not guilty to the charge of second-degree murder in the case. Opening arguments in the case are...

British anti-terrorism police said Monday they arrested 12 men in early morning raids on three cities to protect the public amid fears of a holiday season terrorism plot. Assistant Commissioner John Yates, the U.K. 's lead police officer for counterterrorism, said the suspects were detained in London, in the central English city of Stoke-on-Trent and in Cardiff, Wales. The arrests follow several weeks of surveillance and are not believed to be linked to other recent plots against Europe or the recent bombing in Sweden.

Muslims accuse GOP congresswoman of equating Muslims with terrorists and disregarding them. In North Carolina’s 2nd congressional district, many Muslims are, apparently, downright angry with newly elected GOP congresswoman Renee Ellmers for what they allege is her disrespect towards them. The anger that the Muslim community in the state apparently has for the congresswoman is based on an election ad she used that involved the planned Ground Zero mosque. Even though she only used the term "victory mosque" in said ad, she was slandered by the Muslims for equating them with terrorists. The ad didn’t hurt Ellmers at all since...

November 29, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Every once in a while, one stumbles upon a terrifying level of honesty among abortion supporters. Normally, the truth is something that refreshes us when we come upon it - not so in this realm. Such is the nomenclature of what appears to be a moderately successful group dedicated solely to providing low-income women with abortion money, called the Lilith Fund. The Texas-based group explains its name on its website as follows: “Lilith was the first woman created by God, as Adam’s wife and equal. Because Lilith refused to be subservient or submissive, she was...

While far too many Americans are still unaware of the internal threat of Islam, Muslims continue to move forward with their goal of creating an Islamic world. A mission in which they have no concerns whatsoever for the beliefs of non-Muslims. Earlier this month I posted about the Islamic-World website, and their article which calls for Muslim parents to teach their children to join the jihad. Today I continue with another one of their articles. This one advices Muslim on getting their children to do their part in creating an Islamic world. As usual the site is very busy, and...

Police in France have arrested nine people and seized guns and ammunition in anti-terrorism raids in the south of the country, officials say. The arrests were made in the port city of Marseille and the nearby town of Avignon, AFP news agency reported. The raids come as security sources in some Western countries warn of a plot to attack public targets in Europe. However, police have not said if there is a link between the latest arrests and the warnings. A French official told AFP that police had seized weapons "including a Kalashnikov (rifle) and a pump-action shotgun, as well...

NEW YORK — Federal prosecutors say the man convicted of trying to set off a car bomb in Times Square on May 1 regularly checked live video feeds to see where, and at what time, the crowds would be the largest.

“The fact that you are reading this indicates you escaped the abortion holocaust. But don’t relax yet. We are all candidates for the growing euthanasia movement.” These oft-repeated words of Msgr. William B. Smith, one of the Church’s best moral theologians until his death last year, came to mind as my father lay in the emergency room and a grave-faced doctor called me, my brother and our mother aside for a consultation. Since this was a top-rated yet secular hospital, I was already reviewing in my mind all I knew about Church teaching regarding “ordinary” and extraordinary” care. But I...

A 22-year-old Chicago man was arrested over the weekend for plotting to carry out a bombing outside a strip of crowded Wrigleyville night spots, according to the FBI. They also alleged that Sami Samir Hassoun, of the 4700 block of North Kedzie Avenue, had previously discussed a number of violent plots in Chicago, including a biological attack on the city, poisoning Lake Michigan, attacking police officers, bombing the Willis Tower and assassinating Mayor Richard Daley. But he is only charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted use of an explosive device in connection with the...

Many Americans have suggested that more moderate Muslims should stand up to extremists, speak out for tolerance, and apologize for sins committed by their brethren. That’s reasonable advice, and as a moderate myself, I’m going to take it. (Throat clearing.) I hereby apologize to Muslims for the wave of bigotry and simple nuttiness that has lately been directed at you. The venom on the airwaves, equating Muslims with terrorists, should embarrass us more than you. Muslims are one of the last minorities in the United States that it is still possible to demean openly, and I apologize for the slurs....