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July 14, 2005 JS-2632 Treasury Designates MIRA for Support to Al Qaida ******In 2003, MIRA and Faqih received approximately $1 million in funding through Abdulrahman Alamoudi. According to information available to the U.S. Government, the September 2003 arrest of Alamoudi was a severe blow to al Qaida, as Alamoudi had a close relationship with al Qaida and had raised money for al Qaida in the United States. In a 2004 plea agreement, Alamoudi admitted to his role in an assassination plot targeting the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and is currently serving a 23 year sentence.******

Christian Europe is at risk of becoming Eurabia, outbred and overtaken by Islamic immigration, and a crucial battleground on the clash of civilizations that seems to be under way. [...] This alarmist view is fueled by three dangerous and misleading myths [...] that there is any such phenomenon as European Islam[;] that the native Europeans have been so sapped of their reproductive vigor that the higher birth rates of the Muslim immigrants threaten to replace traditionally Christian Europe[;] that this great wave of immigration is necessarily an ominous challenge to Christian Europe...

WHEN Sir Iqbal Sacranie, head of the Muslim Council of Britain, admitted that “our own children” had perpetrated the July 7 London bombings, it was the first time in my memory that a British Muslim had accepted his community’s responsibility for outrages committed by its members. Instead of blaming US foreign policy or “Islamophobia”, Sacranie described the bombings as a “profound challenge” for the Muslim community. However, this is the same Sacranie who, in 1989, said that “Death is perhaps too easy” for the author of The Satanic Verses. Tony Blair’s decision to knight him and treat him as the...

<p>A year ago last month, in Egypt, a group of more than 100 Arab scholars, ambassadors and political leaders signed the "Alexandria Declaration," an ambitious agenda for political, economic, legislative and institutional change designed to help Arab societies move "towards building concrete and genuine democratic systems." In the 13 months since the declaration was signed, the world has witnessed successful elections in Iraq, widespread pro-democracy demonstrations in Lebanon, municipal elections in Saudi Arabia and constitutional reform in Egypt. (The latter two are widely viewed as transparent attempts to alleviate U.S. criticism.) Add to these developments last October's free elections in Afghanistan and the continued democratic rumblings among the young people of Iran, and it appears that the Alexandria statement -- combined with the Bush administration's unwavering commitment to a democratic Middle East -- may have started a trend. Until, that is, you talk to the signatories. Indeed, attendees of a recent meeting marking the first anniversary of the Alexandria Declaration expressed disappointment with the pace of reform in the Arab world, pointing to the continued stranglehold on power wielded by autocrats from Damascus to Algiers. A progress report on the Alexandria Declaration presented at the meeting reported a "lack of commitment to speeding up reform" among Arab nations and concluded that the original statement offered "little in the way of realizable plans." But despite its disappointing content, this statement was, in a way, refreshing -- indeed, such calls for democratic reform usually come from outside the Arab world and are not delivered so sharply from within. The reasons for this and for the overall freedom deficit in Arab nations deserve greater scrutiny. But such a discussion is not easily triggered due to the propensity of many in the Arab world to pass blame onto Israel and "Western imperialism." An example is the UN-sponsored Arab Human Development Report (AHDR), released last week. The report is the third installment of an annual series produced by a group of Arab scholars and intellectuals. The first report, published in 2002, caused a stir in the Arab world when it outlined how the region was falling behind in development. The second report criticized an "Arab knowledge deficit" in contrast to the rest of the world. The latest installment, much like the Alexandria Declaration, focuses on the lack of freedom and democratization in the Arab world. But unlike the statement crafted in Alexandria, the AHDR report cited the creation of Israel in 1948 as a major reason for the lack of political and economic freedom and human rights in the Arab world, and chastised the U.S. for supporting Israel and occupying Iraq, among other supposed transgressions. The AHDR's shameless scapegoating of the United States and Israel is particularly disappointing given that other sections of the report were actually on point in their assessments. For example, the report refers to increased talk of reform in the Middle East as "real and promising," but warns that it is not enough "to dispel the established environment of repression" in Arab countries. As for Saudi Arabia's recent municipal elections, the report rightly brands them "cosmetic and superficial" and "calculated." The report also suggests a "peaceful negotiation on the redistribution of power in Arab countries" (which it calls "Izdihar") as the ideal way to speed up the reform process. Both the AHDR and Alexandria statements assert that Arab rulers are doing little to cultivate democratic reform aside from making hollow promises. But while the AHDR warns Arab rulers of "change forced by outsiders," the fact remains that Arab reformers -- who are working, often at great risk, to bring freedom from within -- have had little success thus far in terms of results. Indeed, the very "outsider" the AHDR refers to -- the United States -- is the only country with any real track record of bringing freedom to Arab and Muslim lands. The fact that prominent Arabs are beginning to talk openly about the urgent need for reform is undoubtedly a positive development. And yet the Alexandria Declaration and the AHDR--while sharing many of the same conclusions -- ultimately represent two vastly different takes on how the Arab world became what it is, and how it can move forward. Until Arab reformers find some even ground and begin to affect real change from within, the "outside influences" that many of them so disdain must continue to play a vital role in helping to open Arab societies and put the reform discussion on the table.</p>

The Islamic state that existed 1,400 years ago cannot be recreated, says a Muslim scholar Israr Ahmad. "The first Islamic state was created in a tribal setup; today the world has changed," said Ahmad. "So we can form a modern Islamic state based on the principles of our religion but cannot recreate what existed 1,400 years ago." Ahmed, who heads an orthodox Muslim religious party and campaigns tirelessly for establishing an Islamic government in Pakistan, made this observation during a debate on a private Pakistani television channel. The debate and Ahmed's admission both reflect the major change that the Islamic...

The bloody siege of a Russian school by Chechen rebels brought widespread condemnation and soul-searching in the Islamic world yesterday. Arab newspapers and television broadcasts were full of dramatic photographs of the children killed and injured in the siege by Islamic rebels demanding Chechen independence from Russia. Commentators and clerics put a harsh spotlight on those who kill and maim in Islam's name. "What is the guilt of those children? Why should they be responsible for your conflict with the government?" Egypt's top Muslim cleric, Grand Sheik Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, asked during a sermon in Banha, 30 miles north of...

24 Oct 2003 11:50:59 GMTSaudi police nabs 80 during protest attempt-source By Fahd al-Frayyan RIYADH, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Saudi authorities arrested more than 80 people who sought to protest in response to calls by an exiled dissident group demanding reform in the absolute monarchy, a security official said on Friday. The protest, the second in the kingdom in two weeks, was seen as a new challenge to the Saudi royal family, which is already mounting a crackdown against militants loyal to Saudi-born al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. "Tens of people were detained as they gathered. The number reached...

Sheikh 'Abd Al-Hamid Al-Ansari,(1) dean of the Faculty of Shar'iah (Islamic Law) at Qatar University, known for his liberal positions, published an article in the London-based Arabic daily Al-Hayat. In the article, titled "Landmarks in Rational and Constructive Dialogue With the 'Other,'" he writes: "Since September 11, there has been a buildup of mutual misunderstanding, evil thought, suspicions, and distortions between West and East... This buildup has led to an unhealthy atmosphere that fostered two phenomena: the rise of the extreme right in the West – known as the Le Pen phenomenon – which sees the other as an enemy...