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WICHITA, Kan. – The leader of a Kansas commune that prosecutors say lived off of insurance payouts following the deaths of group members is set to stand trial for murder in the 2003 drowning of one of them — a young mother whose death he allegedly foretold weeks before it happened. Daniel U. Perez, a 55-year-old self-proclaimed seer, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder in the death of 26-year-old Patricia Hughes at the group's compound in the Wichita suburb of Valley Center. Jury selection begins Monday in Sedgwick County District Court. Authorities have investigated several deaths linked to the group,...

The violence in northern Nigeria is mistakenly viewed as a religious conflict rather than simply a tribal dispute over land, according to the Obama administration. Despite the ongoing Muslim destruction of churches and the slaughter of Christians – including many murdered during worship services – the U.S. Agency for International Development claims that the misunderstandings make it difficult to administer aid programs. USAID, therefore, has launched a program titled Project PEACE – an acronym for Programming Effectively Against Conflict and Extremism.

Nigeria Police say at least eight people have been killed in an attack on a church service at a Nigerian university in the northern city of Kano. Explosions and gunfire rocked Bayero University, with witnesses reporting that two church services were targeted as they were being held on campus. One of the services was being held outdoors, while the second was inside a building, but with an overflow audience outside, witnesses said. Officials were unable to confirm casualty figures, but one correspondent counted six bullet-riddled bodies near one of the two sites and said other bodies had been seen on...

The employers of an American man killed while working in Yemen said in a statement Monday that he “highly respected” Islam, after a group tied to al-Qaida claimed it had executed him because of his “Christian proselytizing.” Joel Shrum, a teacher at the International Training Development Center, was shot dead Sunday in the city of Taiz where he worked. A group linked to al-Qaida, Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), claimed responsibility. "This operation comes as a response to the campaign of Christian proselytizing that the West has launched against Muslims," an unidentified person said in a text message to...

Hamza Kashgari, a Saudi columnist may face death for sending three tweets. Addressing the Prophet Muhammad he wrote, "I have loved the rebel in you," but "I do not like the halos of divinity around you. I shall not pray for you." He also wrote, "I shall shake [your hand] as equals do … I shall speak to you as a friend, no more." The Saudi Twitter-sphere exploded with responses to Kashgari, with commentators accusing him of blasphemy. A Facebook account was immediately set up calling for his death and in no time over 13,000 Muslims subscribed to it. Kashgari...

The controversial pastor who has sparked riots in Afghanistan which have left at least 20 dead has said he would rather die than stop preaching against Islam. Reverend Terry Jones said his right to speak out was more important than the lives of those who had died during the unrest - or any American soldiers who might be killed in the future. He said he would continue his campaign against Muslims even though every single one of his 30 parishioners had deserted him.

Jon Stewart's Rally for Sanity yesterday featured Yusuf Islam aka Cat Stevens singing "Peace Train". Islam/Stevens previously showed his commitment to peace and sanity by saying that death was the appropriate punishment for Salman Rushdie's "blasphemy". He has tried to wiggle out of it and issued all kinds of denials. But here is what he said (SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_Stevens%27_comments_about_Salman_Rushdie) to Geoffrey Robertson QC in 1989. (Video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-wjxwpvqps) Robertson: You don't think that this man deserves to die? Y. Islam: Who, Salman Rushdie? Robertson: Yes. Y. Islam: Yes, yes. Robertson: And do you have a duty to be his executioner? Y....

A gay Saudi prince beat and strangled his male servant to death in a frenzied sexual assault at their luxury London hotel suite, a court heard on Tuesday. Saud Bin Abdulaziz Bin Nasir al Saud, 34, who is a grandson of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, killed Bandar Abdullah Abdulaziz on February 15 after abusing him for weeks, the court heard. The 32-year-old victim was found with severe injuries including bite marks on his cheeks in a bloodstained bed in the suite at the Landmark Hotel, which he was sharing with the prince, prosecutors said. Prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw told the jury...

U.S. cartoonist Molly Norris has been declared a 'target' by radical Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who has issued a fatwa calling for her death. The social satirist, who stirred up a religious storm earlier this year with a tongue-in-cheek encouragement to draw images of the Muslim prophet Mohammed, has gone into hiding after threats to her safety. Cleric al-Awlaki, 39, who is thought to be hiding in Yemen and has links to al Qaeda, said in the June issue of 'Inspire', an English-language magazine for American Muslim youth, that Norris was a 'prime target' whose 'proper abode is hellfire.' Now...

The Department of Defense Friday released its final review of recommendations from an independent report ordered in the wake of the deadly Nov. 5, 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood’s Soldier Readiness Center that left 13 dead and more than 30 wounded. Read The Final Fort Hood Review [at link] The independent report was released in January and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said then it "raises serious questions" about the military's ability to cope with security threats within its ranks. Read The Full Report [at link] The Pentagon said Friday it will place a priority on implanting recommendations that...

The silence from Pakistani authorities is deafening. An update on this story. "Punjab: Christian burned alive dies, Christian community calls for justice," by Fareed Khan for Asia News, March 23: Islamabad (AsiaNews) - Arshed Masih died last night in hospital from the serious injuries - burns covering 80% of his body - which the 38 year old Pakistani Christian suffered when he was set on fire because he refused to convert to Islam. The funeral of man, who died after three days of agony, should take place in the late afternoon, but the family has asked that "before an autopsy...

WARNING: Explicit details follow - Nigerian Muslims in the village of Bei, Nigeria have attacked and murdered at least twelve Christians today. This latest attack comes just 10 days after Muslims attacked and murdered as many as 500 Christians in Jos, Nigeria. The attackers were dressed in military uniforms and committed atrocities against those they murdered

A recent thread on the Al-Falluja jihadist forum discussed the case of whether a Muslim who has nothing else to eat may kill an infidel in order to eat him. The discussion was prompted by a recently published book by Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi, one of the most influential jihadist sheikhs active today"Is It Permitted To Eat The Flesh of American Soldiers?" On June 13, 2009, a member of the Al-Falluja forum who uses the moniker "Al-Maqdisi's Student" wrote a post based on this passage [in full report] titled "Is it permitted to eat the flesh of American soldiers? A quote...

Tears streaming down her face, she is confronted by police - a teenage girl apparently planning to blow herself up in front of an Iraqi school. The officers handcuffed her to a metal balustrade before moving in with extreme caution to uncover a vest full of explosives hidden under her colourful robe. The dramatic scenes were captured on a video shot by the police.-SNIP- Police in Baqouba, where the girl was caught on Sunday, said she was fitted with the vest by female relatives of her husband, whom she married five months ago. They also claimed that the girl's father...

CALGARY, July 2, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ ----The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community will unveil Canada's largest Mosque Complex and a stunning architectural landmark in Calgary on Saturday, July 5th, 2008. With a total area of approximately 48,000 sq. ft. the new Mosque will be a symbol of peace and social harmony. The Head of the Worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad will inaugurate the new mosque. The Prime Minister, Stephen Harper - Leader of National Liberal Party, Stephene Dion - His Worship Dave Bronconnier, Mayor of Calgary, together with other senior community and political figures and the...

An explosive device strapped to a woman suicide bomber was activated Thursday afternoon near IDF soldiers operating in the Jabalya area in north Gaza. The terrorist was killed, and three soldiers sustained light injuries in the incident, bringing the number of troops injured in the Strip throughout the day to seven. Palestinian sources said the terrorist was identified as 57-year-old Fatma Najar, claiming she was sent on the suicide mission by Hamas. Ceasefire in Works? Her family said she had nine children and nearly 30 grandchildren. She was the first known Palestinian grandmother to attempt a suicide bombing against Israelis....

“All those who hate me love death” – Jehovah, Proverbs 8:36 “We love death. The US loves life. That is the difference between us two.” – Osama bin Laden, November 2001 Superlatives are insufficient to describe the horror currently seen in Iraq: bags filled with severed human heads; scores of bodies found with the eyes drilled out; limbs amputated with power saws; crowds of Iraqi children blown to bits for accepting candy from American troops; pits filled with bodies of executed “collaborators”. These are the daily deeds of the self-proclaimed Islamic “freedom fighters” in Iraq – the Warriors of Jihad....

Human rights groups and concerned individuals worldwide are demanding an end to stoning executions in Iran – and right now are pressuring the head of the Islamic nation's judiciary to lift the death sentence against a 34-year-old mother of two young children. Malak Ghorbany was sentenced to death June 28 by a court in the Iranian city of Urmia after being found guilty of committing "adultery." Under Iran's strict Sharia law, women sentenced to execution by stoning have their hands bound behind their back. They are wrapped from head to toe in sheets before being seated in a pit. The...