october 31, 2005

Directing Questions to ‘Mainstream’ American Muslim Leaders

With yet another round of horrific acts being committed in the name of Islam this past week, I thought now would be the perfect time to pose a few direct questions to "mainstream" American Muslim leaders. You know, the folks from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), and the rest of their Wahhabi cronies. These organizations--CAIR in particular--claim to represent the views of American Muslims. Given CAIR's nefarious track record, we can only hope that isn't the case. But alas, with all too few moderate Muslims making their voices heard, I have no choice but to address my concerns to American Islam's influential extremist wing. So to CAIR, MPAC, ISNA, and all the rest, please direct your responses to erick.stakelbeck@cbn.org. I, and the American people, would sure love to hear from you.

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October 28, 2005

Ahmadinejad is Arguably Most Dangerous, Unpredictable Tyrant

If things continue the way they have since Iran's terrorist-in-chief, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, took office in August, I'm going to have to rename this blog "Iran Watch." At the moment, Ahmadinejad is arguably the most dangerous, unpredictable tyrant in the world (with the possible exception of North Korea's depraved Kim Jong-Il). In yesterday's blog, I recounted Ahmadinejad's recent calls for Israel "to be wiped off the map." His venomous diatribe has been greeted with universal condemnation, with everyone from Tony Blair to Kofi Annan to Palestinian Authority spokesman Saeb Erekat expressing shock and revulsion.

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October 27, 2005

Saudi Muslim Males Coming to U.S. Universities Near You....

At a conference yesterday in Tehran titled, tellingly, "A World Without Zionism," Iran's new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, called for Israel to be "wiped off the face of the earth." Gee, tell us how you really feel, Mahmoud. Now, it's tough to top that statement in terms of sheer spine-tingling menace. But a piece of news out of Saudi Arabia this week may do just that. According to the London-based Arabic newspaper, Asharq Al-Awsat, thousands of young Saudi Muslim males will be landing on America's shores over the next few years. And they're coming to a university near you...

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October 26, 2005

Hinrichs Story Becoming More Intriguing

I've been following the strange case of Joel Hinrichs ever since October 1, when the 21-year-old engineering major blew himself up outside a packed college football game at the University of Oklahoma. In fact, we here at CBN News think the mysterious nature of Hinrichs' death is so significant (Did he have links to radical Islamists? Did he intend to harm fans at the game?), I took a trip down to the Univserity of Oklahoma's campus in Norman, OK last week to investigate. You can see what I found on today's edition of the 700 Club. The story is called "Terror in America's Heartland?" and it raises several questions about Hinrichs' true intentions, not to mention the FBI's murky investigation into his death.

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October 25, 2005

Bush Lacks in Knowledge of Islam and its Teachings

President Bush has, for the most part, done a solid job of conducting the war on terror since 9/11. Yes, much work still needs to be done (capturing or killing bin Laden, Zawahiri and Zarqawi and defeating the insurgency in Iraq are at the top of the list), but the defeat of the Taliban regime, the ouster of Saddam Hussein, and--thanks largely to the Patriot Act--the bust-up of numerous domestic terrorist plots, have been victories. Unfortunately, the President is still disturbingly lacking in one crucial area: his knowledge and understanding of Islam and its teachings.

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October 21, 2005

Add Chechnya to the List

I've blogged previously about the disturbing phenomenon of terrorist plots against Western targets being planned from the distant confines of Iraq. For more on this topic, check out this informative and sobering piece from the October 19 Washington Post...

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october 19, 2005

Zero-Tolerance Policy for Illegal Aliens is Crucial

I'm in Oklahoma this week following up on the Joel Hinrichs suicide, so my entries may be a bit brief. Some troubling news out of Baltimore yesterday , where authorities shut down portions of I-95, including the Harbor and Ft. McHenry tunnels due to a reported threat that terrorists would drive a truck full of explosives into one of the tunnels and detonate it. Much like the reported threat to New York's subway system two weeks ago, federal authorities downplayed the danger and questioned the source (a captured jihadist in the Netherlands tipped authorities off to the supposed plot; he allegedly failed a polygraph test).

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October 14, 2005

Situation in Russia's North Caucasus Region Out of Control

It's official: the situation in Russia's North Caucasus region has spun completely out of control. The Islamic jihad in Chechnya has now spread to neighboring countries, consuming the entire region. Before I go any further, you may want to check out this map for a better understanding of the area's geography. For the past two days, Islamic terrorists have staged attacks on police and government buildings in Nalchik, capital of the predominantly Muslim republic of Kabardino-Balkaria. So far, at least 108 people--including 65 terrorists--have been killed in the fighting. One can't help but be reminded of September 2004, when terrorists seized a school in the North Caucasus town of Beslan, about 60 miles southeast of Nalchik. In the end, at least 300 people, many of them schoolchildren, were killed in one of the bloodiest and most despicable acts of pure terrorist evil ever conceived.

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October 12, 2005

Disconnect Between Al-Qaeda's Hiearchy and its Brazen Young

Zawahiri scolds Zarqawi for the taped beheadings, countless civilian deaths, and overall gruesome violence that continues to be perpetrated by Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Zawahiri questions whether carrying out these barbaric acts is a "wise decision," by Zarqawi and says the "majority of Muslims don't comprehend this." Interestingly enough, Zawahiri also asks, "why were there attacks on ordinary Shia?" He also tells Zarqawi that fellow Muslims "will never find palatable" the televised scenes of hostage beheadings coming out of Iraq. According to Zawahiri, this will only cause Al-Qaeda to lose the all-important media battle "for the hearts and minds" of the Muslim world.

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october 11, 2005

Were Botched Events Part of a Coordinated Terrorism Plan?

Unlike 99 percent of the mainstream media, we here at CBN News have closely monitored the case of Joel Hinrichs. As I've reported in previous blogs, Hinrichs was a 21-year-old Oklahoma University student who blew himself up with high-powered explosives on October 1. In addition to the unorthodox method he used to kill himself, the venue Hinrichs chose was equally troubling. When the explosives he was carrying detonated, Hinrichs was seated just 100 yards from OU's football stadium--which, at the time, was packed with 84,000 fans watching the Sooners take on Kansas State. Although the FBI and Oklahoma University president David Boren have stated that this was simply the work of one troubled individual, a number of reports that have circulated in the blogosphere and on local Oklahoma City news outlets over this past week have led me to believe that Hinrich had far more sinister motives in mind. I believe that Hinrichs may very well have been attempting to carry out the first suicide bombing on American soil since the 9/11 attacks.

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october 10, 2005

Plots against Western Targets Emanating from Iraq

It's becoming increasingly clear that terrorist plots against Western targets are emanating from Iraq. First, there were the events of last week in New York City, where police and citizens alike were on high alert after an insurgent captured in Iraq revealed a plan to detonate bombs on the NYC subway system. The plan was hatched in Iraq, and was reportedly to be carried out on October 9 by up to 20 terrorists. Three of the suspected plotters have already been arrested in Iraq, and a fourth may be on the loose in the U.S.

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october 7, 2005

The Beauty of Islamic Law....

I'm busy digging up everything I can on the Oklahoma suicide bomber and also the NYC subway threat (I'll be posting on both those topics next week), so I'm a bit strapped for time today. In the meantime, I'll leave you all with this article to ponder over the weekend. Gee, it looks like that Gaza withdrawl really worked, huh? And ah, the beauty of Islamic law, where doing the Curly Shuffle can get you stoned to death.

October 6, 2005

Enough Red Flags to Make Sinister Scenario Plausible

Reports are circulating all over the Web, particularly among bloggers, about the Oklahoma University suicide bomber, Joel Hinrichs. For those who haven't yet heard about Hinrichs' case, my blogs from Tuesday and Wednesday will bring you reasonably up to speed. And for a great insider's persepctive, visit the Counterterrorism Blog, where the always insightful Daveed Gartenstein-Ross has done an excellent job of following this fluid story.

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october 5, 2005

Update on OU Student's Suicide

We know from several botched attempts in Iraq that suicide bombs are known to sometimes detonate prematurely, killing the bomber before he or she has a chance to wade into a crowd and inflict the intended carnage. We also know that investigators reportedly found bomb making materials and jihadist literature during a search of Hinrichs' apartment on campus. Now, more troubling details are emerging that lead me to believe Hinrichs may indeed have had much larger--and bloodier--plans.

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october 4, 2005

Questions Abound Surrounding Suicide of College Student

On the same day Islamic suicide bombers killed at least 26 people in the Indonesian resort town of Bali, an American blew himself up in similar fashion. You read that right--this past Saturday night, a 21-year-old University of Oklahoma student named Joel Henry Hinrichs III blew himself up outside the school's football stadium during a sold-out game between OU and Kansas State (with 84,000 fans in attendance). Hinrichs, an engineering major who reportedly battled depression, killed himself in the fashion of Islamic terrorists, by detonating a bomb strapped to his body. Other than Hinrichs, no one was hurt by the powerful explosion--he was reportedly seated on a bench about 100 yards from the stadium when the bomb detonated.

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