Africa: Sexual Terrorism in Africa - a Case of Two Crimes in One
AllAfrica
By Uyo Salifu
2 OCTOBER 2013
The victim lives in silence; either too scared of reprisal or too ashamed to talk. Her physical scars may heal but the emotional ones are deeply buried. Her family is torn; glad she survived the ordeal and desperate for justice, yet fearing victimisation by the perpetrators, the community and beyond. This is the portrait of an African who has endured a harrowing experience at the hands of men who rape in the name of religion. This is the portrait of an individual who has been the victim of sexual terrorism.
Some call it 'rape jihad', others opt for 'sexual terrorism' or 'forced marriage'. Whatever one may choose to call it, when terrorism meets sexual violence it is two crimes too many. It is the use of sexual abuse to spread terror with the intention of controlling or manipulating the government or parts of a population. By intimidating and humiliating families, terrorists hope to exert influence over their targeted audience.
Sexual terrorism is often classified as being gendered in nature, due to the fact that the victims are chiefly girls or women. In sexual terrorism, the rape or assault is part of a broader objective: to spread terror or send a message, a motivation similar to that found in the use of suicide bombings. The perpetrators justify sexual terrorism by claiming that the Prophet Mohammed sanctioned the rape of both non-Muslims (infidels or kafirs) and Muslims who do not adhere strictly to Islam.
In August 2013, a young mother in Somalia was kidnapped and raped by members of the terrorist network Al-Shabaab for being a Christian. The terrorists contacted the victim's husband, warning him to convert to Islam. Human Rights Watch has released similar reports on a spate of child kidnappings in Somalia.
The kidnapped children were trained to fight and used to protect the adult terrorists. According to the reports, the girls were forced to marry these 'soldiers' or face beheading, after which their heads would be sent back to their schools as a warning against insolence.
Jihadists in West Africa have acted in similar fashion. A 20-year-old girl was reportedly gang-raped by five men from the Islamist group Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in the city of Timbuktu. Her crime was failing to cover her head and face with a veil or hijab. This is one of many stories that have surfaced in Timbuktu and Gao in northern Mali.
In Nigeria, Boko Haram allegedly committed similar atrocities. According to reports, Boko Haram members in Borno State, northern Nigeria have repeatedly abducted women, forcefully married them, and infected them with sexually transmitted diseases. Al-Shabaab, AQIM and Boko Haram fight for strict adherence to Islam and the application of Sharia law.
The instances above are only a few of the accounts of sexual slavery, gang rape and other forms of sexual violence used by terrorists against women and girls in Africa. Many more have been documented.
Like other forms of sexual assault, responding to sexual terrorism requires criminal justice, medical, psychological and social initiatives. However, as stated above, in many cases the girls or women are too scared to come forward for treatment, which hinders efforts to tackle the problem. Despite this, some progress has been made.
For instance, in northern Mali, United Nations Women partnered with Malian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and established a project to assist some of the women and girls who had been raped or forced into marriages by the rebels. More than 1 000 women and girls have benefitted from the resultant medical and psychosocial assistance.
In Somalia, efforts are underway to treat rape victims, and a rape crisis centre in Mogadishu called 'Sister Somalia' attends to their medical, psychological and social needs.
Similarly, the government of Nigeria's Borno State has begun improving the health services in order to effectively deal with the medical impact of rape, which includes HIV/AIDS and unwanted pregnancies.
Responses to sexual terrorism have also taken the form of military engagement with the terrorists. In northern Mali, for example, the French-led armed intervention has disbanded much of AQIM. Nigeria has not had as much success: despite the fact that the Nigerian police killed several Boko Haram members, the country continues to suffer its onslaughts.
Somalia still lacks the infrastructure and resources to address terrorism and depends largely on international and regional support to fight Al-Shabaab. Neighbouring countries such as Kenya and Uganda have provided military assistance, but the terrorist threat remains.
Noteworthy as all these efforts may be, they are neither sufficient nor holistic enough to specifically address sexual terrorism. One key reason for this is that rape victims are often too reluctant to identify themselves, for fear of violent reprisals and/or stigmatisation.
For this reason, mass campaigns to de-stigmatise rape should take place across these regions and beyond. Campaigns such as these will not only draw further attention to the scourge but also contribute towards changing perceptions.
Another key reason why current efforts are insufficient is because the criminal justice responses are inadequate. As a result, rape victims may remain too scared to come forward. In addition, the absence of criminal justice responses will almost certainly mean that the offenders will continue to rape.
Uyo Salifu, Researcher, Transnational Threats and International Crime Division, ISS Pretoria
An American, Australian ,Israeli, British "Judeo Christian Friendly " blog.
Anthropogenic Global Warming SCAM
Monday, October 14, 2013
"Abduction & sexual assault " All the cultural Enrichment and Diversity you want, Labor's VOTE People.
Men face ACT court on abduction, sexual assault charges
ABC
October 12, 2013, 2:02 pm
Two Indian nationals have been refused bail in the ACT Magistrates Court over allegations of abduction and sexual assault.
The two men, aged 31 and 20, appeared in court this morning charged with sexual assault, abduction, forcible confinement and acts of indecency.
Yesterday, police searched a property and seized several items.
The court was told the men lured the female victim into meeting them by using a social media phone app.
It is alleged one man made threats to the woman's son and said he would show the woman's husband their conversation on the app.
The court heard the woman was then taken to a Belconnen apartment, where she was repeatedly assaulted.
The men were refused bail on the basis that they could contact the victim and her family or interfere with the investigation.
They have been remanded in custody until October 22.
ABC
October 12, 2013, 2:02 pm
Two Indian nationals have been refused bail in the ACT Magistrates Court over allegations of abduction and sexual assault.
The two men, aged 31 and 20, appeared in court this morning charged with sexual assault, abduction, forcible confinement and acts of indecency.
Yesterday, police searched a property and seized several items.
The court was told the men lured the female victim into meeting them by using a social media phone app.
It is alleged one man made threats to the woman's son and said he would show the woman's husband their conversation on the app.
The court heard the woman was then taken to a Belconnen apartment, where she was repeatedly assaulted.
The men were refused bail on the basis that they could contact the victim and her family or interfere with the investigation.
They have been remanded in custody until October 22.
Sydney's Occupied Territories : Muslim school girl Forced to wed a "a most heinous, capricious and revolting misogynist". at 14 by her parents
This is the cave dwelling Crap the Multicultural Industry Imports into Australia every chance they can, legally or illegally,Labor's VOTE People
Three Cheers for Judge Joe Harman
Forced to wed at 14, woman walks out after years of abuse from violent husband
Fiona Hudson
Herald Sun
October 11,2013
EXCLUSIVE: A CHILD bride forced to illegally wed at 14 has won a disturbing custody fight that shines rare light on arranged unions in suburban Australia.
Married off as a schoolgirl to a 21-year-old groom by her Muslim parents, the woman endured years of violence and abuse before walking out with their young daughter.
The Federal Circuit Court heard the bride's mum pushed her into the Islamic ceremony, telling the then-teen she'd get to attend theme parks and movies and eat lollies and ice- cream with her new husband.
But once the girl moved in to the man's outer-Sydney home she was locked inside, let out only to attend high school.
The court heard evidence her husband used to burn her homework, and made her drop out of classes entirely after about a year.
He also stopped her watching her favourite TV shows - Home and Away and Neighbours - instead screening a violent DVD showing soldiers taken hostage and blown up with grenades.
In a decision published last week, Judge Joe Harman described the man as "a most heinous, capricious and revolting misogynist".
The judge stressed that he accepted all of the wife's evidence, and expressed his concern that while the girl apparently reported her predicament to a teacher, mandatory reporting laws appeared not to have protected her.
In his decision the judge invited authorities, such as police, wishing to investigate the serious matters raised during the case to apply to the court to obtain material from the file.
Legal restrictions prevent the Herald Sun from identifying the parties.
The woman, now 24, can only be referred to by the pseudonym "Ms Elia", and the man, now 31, as "Mr Essey".
These women are FOR it
Cultural Enrichment and Diversity brought to Australia by Labor's VOTE People
Ms Elia fell pregnant at age 17 and gave birth to a daughter, now 6, who was the subject of the custody proceedings.
Her affidavit included a claim Mr Essey had once threatened to marry off their young daughter when she turned 14.
The judge found that the couple's illegal marriage ceremony had taken place "with the full knowledge, if not connivance and co-operation, of her parents".
Ms Elia was subjected to violence, including being kicked, punched, stamped on and thrown into walls, and their daughter was also attacked, he found.
The court heard claims that Mr Essey was involved in regular criminal activity, including robberies and assaults and was a routine user, if not a dealer, of drugs.
The couple separated in early 2009. She has since found a new partner.
Ms Elia gave evidence she'd stopped speaking to her parents after her divorce.
"My father has said to me, 'So what if he raped you? So what if he bashed you?'
"He has also said, 'The only way you can come back to me is in a coffin to pray on you'."
Judge Harman ordered Ms Elia have sole responsibility for the child and that Mr Essey be restrained from having all contact with them.
fiona.hudson@news.com.au
Three Cheers for Judge Joe Harman
Forced to wed at 14, woman walks out after years of abuse from violent husband
Fiona Hudson
Herald Sun
October 11,2013
EXCLUSIVE: A CHILD bride forced to illegally wed at 14 has won a disturbing custody fight that shines rare light on arranged unions in suburban Australia.
Married off as a schoolgirl to a 21-year-old groom by her Muslim parents, the woman endured years of violence and abuse before walking out with their young daughter.
The Federal Circuit Court heard the bride's mum pushed her into the Islamic ceremony, telling the then-teen she'd get to attend theme parks and movies and eat lollies and ice- cream with her new husband.
But once the girl moved in to the man's outer-Sydney home she was locked inside, let out only to attend high school.
The court heard evidence her husband used to burn her homework, and made her drop out of classes entirely after about a year.
He also stopped her watching her favourite TV shows - Home and Away and Neighbours - instead screening a violent DVD showing soldiers taken hostage and blown up with grenades.
In a decision published last week, Judge Joe Harman described the man as "a most heinous, capricious and revolting misogynist".
The judge stressed that he accepted all of the wife's evidence, and expressed his concern that while the girl apparently reported her predicament to a teacher, mandatory reporting laws appeared not to have protected her.
In his decision the judge invited authorities, such as police, wishing to investigate the serious matters raised during the case to apply to the court to obtain material from the file.
Legal restrictions prevent the Herald Sun from identifying the parties.
The woman, now 24, can only be referred to by the pseudonym "Ms Elia", and the man, now 31, as "Mr Essey".
This little Girls is against child marriage
These women are FOR it
Cultural Enrichment and Diversity brought to Australia by Labor's VOTE People
Ms Elia fell pregnant at age 17 and gave birth to a daughter, now 6, who was the subject of the custody proceedings.
Her affidavit included a claim Mr Essey had once threatened to marry off their young daughter when she turned 14.
The judge found that the couple's illegal marriage ceremony had taken place "with the full knowledge, if not connivance and co-operation, of her parents".
Ms Elia was subjected to violence, including being kicked, punched, stamped on and thrown into walls, and their daughter was also attacked, he found.
The court heard claims that Mr Essey was involved in regular criminal activity, including robberies and assaults and was a routine user, if not a dealer, of drugs.
The couple separated in early 2009. She has since found a new partner.
Ms Elia gave evidence she'd stopped speaking to her parents after her divorce.
"My father has said to me, 'So what if he raped you? So what if he bashed you?'
"He has also said, 'The only way you can come back to me is in a coffin to pray on you'."
Judge Harman ordered Ms Elia have sole responsibility for the child and that Mr Essey be restrained from having all contact with them.
fiona.hudson@news.com.au
Smiles the best cure for " 28 per cent were not fully immunised while 25 per cent had an infectious disease." Islamic / Multicultural Medical Science leading the way again?
Smiles The Best Cure
The Sunday Telegraph
October 13 ,2013
Pg 31
Refugee screening finds many kids at risk
The revelation comes after a joint Sydney Children’s Hospital volunteer refugee health screening program of two Sydney English language centres found more than 90 per cent of children require medical intervention.
The high incidence of illness has triggered a call from health workers to expand the award-winning screening program more widely across the state.
Of the 169 children who were screened, more than 90 per cent had “one or more health conditions”.
Health workers found 75 per cent had nutritional or vitamin deficiencies, 30 per cent had vision or hearing problems, 28 per cent were not fully immunised while 25 per cent had an infectious disease.
The Sunday Telegraph can reveal NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner (pictured) will examine expanding the program across the state, after it received a health innovation award last week.
The program’s clinical lead community pediatrician, Associate Professor Dr Karen Zwi, said families arriving into Australia under its immigration program were only screened for tuberculosis.
Once in the country, refugees are given a Medicare card and encouraged to visit a local GP to be screened and treated for any other ailments.
However, Dr Zwi said not all families take up the advice.
Dr Zwi said the majority of children, most of them aged between 11 and 17, had never been immunised, having come from countries in South East, Africa and the Middle East. Once diagnosed, many of the children responded well to treatment, she said. Dr Zwi said health workers were keen to see the screening program rolled out to other language centres to ensure all children were diagnosed and treated.
“Other than tuberculosis, there is no mandatory routine screening of arrivals,” she said.
“The main point is that everything can be managed and treated if we know about it, but if it is left undiagnosed, it can potentially cause a bigger problem later. You do pick up quite serious things sometimes, but nothing that could not be treated.”
Blood screenings taken over two years of the children at the two language centres found four children to have malaria, nine to be suffering from chronic hepatitis B and 72 to have a vitamin D deficiency.
The Sunday Telegraph
October 13 ,2013
Pg 31
Refugee screening finds many kids at risk
The revelation comes after a joint Sydney Children’s Hospital volunteer refugee health screening program of two Sydney English language centres found more than 90 per cent of children require medical intervention.
The high incidence of illness has triggered a call from health workers to expand the award-winning screening program more widely across the state.
Of the 169 children who were screened, more than 90 per cent had “one or more health conditions”.
Health workers found 75 per cent had nutritional or vitamin deficiencies, 30 per cent had vision or hearing problems, 28 per cent were not fully immunised while 25 per cent had an infectious disease.
The Sunday Telegraph can reveal NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner (pictured) will examine expanding the program across the state, after it received a health innovation award last week.
The program’s clinical lead community pediatrician, Associate Professor Dr Karen Zwi, said families arriving into Australia under its immigration program were only screened for tuberculosis.
Once in the country, refugees are given a Medicare card and encouraged to visit a local GP to be screened and treated for any other ailments.
However, Dr Zwi said not all families take up the advice.
Dr Zwi said the majority of children, most of them aged between 11 and 17, had never been immunised, having come from countries in South East, Africa and the Middle East. Once diagnosed, many of the children responded well to treatment, she said. Dr Zwi said health workers were keen to see the screening program rolled out to other language centres to ensure all children were diagnosed and treated.
“Other than tuberculosis, there is no mandatory routine screening of arrivals,” she said.
“The main point is that everything can be managed and treated if we know about it, but if it is left undiagnosed, it can potentially cause a bigger problem later. You do pick up quite serious things sometimes, but nothing that could not be treated.”
Blood screenings taken over two years of the children at the two language centres found four children to have malaria, nine to be suffering from chronic hepatitis B and 72 to have a vitamin D deficiency.
Sydney's Occupied Territories:Muslim Insurgents Killing Spree man sought
Sydney's Occupied Territories where too many "Harmony Day's" are barely enough
Police frustrated by criminal silence around Greenacre following Khaled Kahwaji execution
Yoni Bashan
The Daily Telegraph
October 12,2013
THE gangland execution of drug-peddler and one-time murder suspect Khaled Kahwaji would have been solved much sooner if it had only happened somewhere else - anywhere else but Greenacre.
In this crime hive of south-western Sydney, witnesses curiously never speak up. It's the Greenacre code.
Kahwaji, 29, from Rhodes, was not a sophisticated or endearing criminal. Nor were his final moments, about 6.10pm on March 15, the stuff that romantic gangster stories are made of.
Greenacre shooting victim Khaled Kahwaj refused to name his killer
He was no match for the man who shot him, point blank, in his Mazda 3 at a house on Wilbur St.
His attackers knew he was coming because of his penchant for blaring loud music from his car speakers - they could hear him from blocks away.
A crucial person of interest, who police need to contact, was captured on a nearby CCTV camera a day earlier, shortly after Mr Kahwaji was involved in a fight on Wilbur St. His image is published here for the first time.
No one has been charged over the murder but enough people saw it, watching as two cars - a Toyota Corolla and a Hyundai hatchback - fled the scene.
Frustrated by witnesses refusing to co-operate, police have taken the unusual step of charging four people - including three women - who they believe are holding back crucial information.
They include Sabrine Chahine, 25, the registered owner of one car seen driving away after the murder. She was charged with refusing to say who was in the vehicle.
How public housing hid a cache of weapons
The second car was a rental, hired by her sister-in-law Sabayda Hawa, 30, who is now facing court on the same offence.
The others are Bilal Assoum, 36, and his former girlfriend, Lisa Salmon, 25. Detectives believe they saw everything, but they allegedly told investigators nothing, prompting both to be charged with concealing a serious offence.
While Sydney is all too familiar with premeditated, organised assassinations, Kahwaji's death was carried out with no effort by the killers to cover their tracks. They did not bother sourcing stolen getaway cars, obscuring the vehicles' license plates, covering their faces or using a silencer.
Kahwaji, a former rubbish collector, spent 10 months on remand over the 2010 murder of 26-year-old Saba Kairouz, a drug supplier shot dead as he played football at Greenacre's Roberts Park.
Dozens of people saw the murder but the case struggled in court. The witness box stayed empty.
Ironically, the Greenacre code that saved Kahwaji from prison now threatens to save his own killers from justice.
Eight months after his death, homicide detectives have mapped Kahwaji's final hours.
The day before he was killed he was seen carrying a gun around the time he was involved in a fight on Wilbur St. Police were called but he ran off when he saw the officers.
That night he slept at a brothel in Petersham, on Parramatta Rd, where he was a regular, arriving about 1am and getting evicted for abusing workers about 10 hours later.
Strung out on drugs and behaving erratically, he loitered at an associate's car workshop in Punchbowl, vandalising cars in the area before driving back to Wilbur St for reasons unknown.
After the murder, heavily armed tactical officers searched the homes of both the Hawa and Assoum families, usin loudspeakers to order the occupants to come outside. The Hawa's have since moved from the area.
Police say crime is so embedded in the Greenacre community psyche that criminals no longer care about possible witnesses - they know no one will speak.
"A murder such as this was carried out on the strong belief that the public would not be willing to assist the police and that is what has occurred," Detective Acting Superintendent Angelo Memmolo said, stressing the need for more people to come forward to help solve the murder.
"If people want to remain safe and don't want these shootings to continue, they need to come forward."
Police frustrated by criminal silence around Greenacre following Khaled Kahwaji execution
Yoni Bashan
The Daily Telegraph
October 12,2013
THE gangland execution of drug-peddler and one-time murder suspect Khaled Kahwaji would have been solved much sooner if it had only happened somewhere else - anywhere else but Greenacre.
In this crime hive of south-western Sydney, witnesses curiously never speak up. It's the Greenacre code.
Kahwaji, 29, from Rhodes, was not a sophisticated or endearing criminal. Nor were his final moments, about 6.10pm on March 15, the stuff that romantic gangster stories are made of.
Greenacre shooting victim Khaled Kahwaj refused to name his killer
He was no match for the man who shot him, point blank, in his Mazda 3 at a house on Wilbur St.
His attackers knew he was coming because of his penchant for blaring loud music from his car speakers - they could hear him from blocks away.
A crucial person of interest, who police need to contact, was captured on a nearby CCTV camera a day earlier, shortly after Mr Kahwaji was involved in a fight on Wilbur St. His image is published here for the first time.
No one has been charged over the murder but enough people saw it, watching as two cars - a Toyota Corolla and a Hyundai hatchback - fled the scene.
Frustrated by witnesses refusing to co-operate, police have taken the unusual step of charging four people - including three women - who they believe are holding back crucial information.
They include Sabrine Chahine, 25, the registered owner of one car seen driving away after the murder. She was charged with refusing to say who was in the vehicle.
How public housing hid a cache of weapons
The second car was a rental, hired by her sister-in-law Sabayda Hawa, 30, who is now facing court on the same offence.
The others are Bilal Assoum, 36, and his former girlfriend, Lisa Salmon, 25. Detectives believe they saw everything, but they allegedly told investigators nothing, prompting both to be charged with concealing a serious offence.
While Sydney is all too familiar with premeditated, organised assassinations, Kahwaji's death was carried out with no effort by the killers to cover their tracks. They did not bother sourcing stolen getaway cars, obscuring the vehicles' license plates, covering their faces or using a silencer.
Kahwaji, a former rubbish collector, spent 10 months on remand over the 2010 murder of 26-year-old Saba Kairouz, a drug supplier shot dead as he played football at Greenacre's Roberts Park.
Dozens of people saw the murder but the case struggled in court. The witness box stayed empty.
Ironically, the Greenacre code that saved Kahwaji from prison now threatens to save his own killers from justice.
Eight months after his death, homicide detectives have mapped Kahwaji's final hours.
The day before he was killed he was seen carrying a gun around the time he was involved in a fight on Wilbur St. Police were called but he ran off when he saw the officers.
That night he slept at a brothel in Petersham, on Parramatta Rd, where he was a regular, arriving about 1am and getting evicted for abusing workers about 10 hours later.
Strung out on drugs and behaving erratically, he loitered at an associate's car workshop in Punchbowl, vandalising cars in the area before driving back to Wilbur St for reasons unknown.
After the murder, heavily armed tactical officers searched the homes of both the Hawa and Assoum families, usin loudspeakers to order the occupants to come outside. The Hawa's have since moved from the area.
Police say crime is so embedded in the Greenacre community psyche that criminals no longer care about possible witnesses - they know no one will speak.
"A murder such as this was carried out on the strong belief that the public would not be willing to assist the police and that is what has occurred," Detective Acting Superintendent Angelo Memmolo said, stressing the need for more people to come forward to help solve the murder.
"If people want to remain safe and don't want these shootings to continue, they need to come forward."
Tuesday, October 08, 2013
Has Islam no longer any use for its useful Gay Idiots ? Cannot wait to hear the Progressive Left's apologetics and spin for this
Gulf states consider medical test to detect gay travellers before they enter the country
Staff Writer
Daily Telegraph
October 8,2013
HEALTH officials in Kuwait claim the country will soon introduce a medical test to detect gay travellers before they can enter the country.
Laws in the Gulf Co-operation Countries - Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - already ban gay acts and the controversial stance is being toughened.
Details of the medical examination are not yet known, but Kuwait's director of pubic health Yousouf Mindkar insists they are coming, the Daily Mail reports.
Foreigners coming into the GCC countries are already given a routine health check, but it will soon include tests to detect LGBT people, who will then be turned away from the borders.
"Health centres conduct the routine medical check to assess the health of the expatriates when they come into the GCC countries," Mr Mindkar told Kuwaiti newspaper Al Rai.
"However, we will take stricter measures that will help us detect gays who will be then barred from entering Kuwait or any of the GCC member states."
Gulf states have a shameful history of anti-gay intolerance. Homosexual acts are banned in all the GCC member countries.
In Kuwait, people involved in a homosexual acts can receive up to 10 years in jail if they are under 21.
In Saudi Arabia, homosexuality is punishable by death.
Staff Writer
Daily Telegraph
October 8,2013
HEALTH officials in Kuwait claim the country will soon introduce a medical test to detect gay travellers before they can enter the country.
Laws in the Gulf Co-operation Countries - Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - already ban gay acts and the controversial stance is being toughened.
Details of the medical examination are not yet known, but Kuwait's director of pubic health Yousouf Mindkar insists they are coming, the Daily Mail reports.
Foreigners coming into the GCC countries are already given a routine health check, but it will soon include tests to detect LGBT people, who will then be turned away from the borders.
Islam means Peace in Iran here are two Gays been hung by the state for been Gay.
"Health centres conduct the routine medical check to assess the health of the expatriates when they come into the GCC countries," Mr Mindkar told Kuwaiti newspaper Al Rai.
"However, we will take stricter measures that will help us detect gays who will be then barred from entering Kuwait or any of the GCC member states."
Gulf states have a shameful history of anti-gay intolerance. Homosexual acts are banned in all the GCC member countries.
In Kuwait, people involved in a homosexual acts can receive up to 10 years in jail if they are under 21.
In Saudi Arabia, homosexuality is punishable by death.
Muslim Insurgent Terrorist Fifth Column active on Australian Soil as Obama's Arab Spring escalates in Syria
Syria war spills on to local streets
Paul Maley
The Australian
October 7, 2013
SYRIA'S two-year-old civil war is spilling on to the streets of Sydney and Melbourne, with advocates on both sides claiming violence and persecution are commonplace.
Sonya El-Abbas, a Melbourne-based nurse who has twice visited Syria to assist in humanitarian relief efforts, said her husband's car had been firebombed and the family home attacked.
"Basically, they tried to burn it while we were in Syria and prior to that they tried to shoot at us at our home," Ms El-Abbas said. "We were copping it big time."
Ms El-Abbas, whose brother Robert was killed in the conflict last year, said her husband's car displayed the emblem of the Free Syrian Army, with whom she had worked during her trips to Syria.
EXPERTS: UN starts on eliminating weapons
Ms El-Abbas said Australians were heavily involved in the Syrian conflict although she stressed they were working in a humanitarian capacity, not as fighters. "I've seen heaps of people go after I've come back and a lot of people want to go," she said. "Every day I come across these people and not to fight, no."
Jamal Daoud, an opponent of the uprising, said he was routinely abused and threatened. Mr Daoud was assaulted on the street, with his attacker convicted.
"For the last one year we have seen a lot of attacks on the Shia," he said. "There have been a lot of attacks on Shia and Alawi businesses. We are also seeing boycotts of business."
Syria's civil war has pitted the country's Sunni Muslims against the Alawite regime of Bashar al-Assad. The Alawites are a Syrian-origin offshoot of Shia Islam.
In Australia, much of the sectarian division has been played out online, with Facebook pages and websites naming Shia businesses and urging boycotts.
Police have also seen a rise in the transmission of gruesome footage from the war, which proliferates quickly in the community via text message or social media.
Generally, though, police have played down suggestions the conflict was generating ethnic tensions in Australia, arguing much of the violence thought to have been triggered by the war has in fact been criminal or personal disputes overlaid with a sectarian veneer. However, there is no doubt the pipeline of Australians travelling to Syria is keeping police and ASIO busy. ASIO routinely interviews Australians known to have travelled to Syria, typically inviting people to meet at a restaurant. Asked if she had been contacted by ASIO, Ms Abbas said simply: "Of course".
"The minute you come back from the airport, even if you've got nothing on you they'll go, 'Go to Customs'," she said.
"(They) check your bags and see what photos you've got, they take your phone away."
The head of the Australian Syrian Association, Mohammad Al-Hamwi, agreed the war had exacerbated tensions. He had received more than 23 threats on his mobile phone. Mr Hamwi, whose group supported the uprising, said the two groups were wary of travelling into Shia or Sunni enclaves.
"There are some (Shia) areas where we don't go and vice versa," Mr Hamwi said.
And this from Janurary 2013
Pia Akerman and Dan Box
The Australian
Janurary 3,2013I
THE sister of a Melbourne man killed in Syria has vowed to follow in her brother's footsteps and travel to the war-torn country to provide humanitarian aid.
Sonya El-Abbas said a recent trip to Syria to learn more about the circumstances of her brother Roger's death had compelled her to return with medical supplies and other necessities to assist victims of the civil war.
"I'm so proud of Roger, he has done the right thing," said the registered nurse, who lives in Melbourne with her young family. "I'm going to follow what he was doing and what he started."
Ms El-Abbas said her trip had yielded first-hand accounts of how her brother, 23, was giving humanitarian aid when he was caught in crossfire.
Abbas, a kickboxer, is among three Australians known to have died in the Syrian conflict. Australian government agencies believe more than 100 citizens have joined the civil war, sparking fears a wave of home-grown jihadists with battle experience could emerge.
Overseas news footage purports to show the body of another Australian reportedly killed in the fighting mid last month, but offers no verification. The latest Australian fatality, former Melbourne bricklayer Yusuf Toprakkaya, has been hailed as a martyr after being killed on the weekend.
Mr Toprakkaya's family believe he was there for humanitarian reasons, though videos posted online show the 30-year-old posing with heavy weaponry and building homemade bombs.
This would make him the first Australian who was clearly involved in the fighting when killed.
His name and date of birth also correspond to a list in a secret 2010 cable from the US embassy in Canberra, which requested 23 Australians be added to a terrorist screening database. Ms El-Abbas backed a call by Sydney man Zaky Mallah, who was previously charged under anti-terror laws, for Australians to travel to Syria despite the dangers.
"There is a high chance that you will die," Mr Mallah said. "If that means death, then so be it. To die as a martyr is a great thing in our religion."
Australian Muslim leaders said they had raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to send to Syria, but there are fears among security agencies that some of this may be flowing to extremist groups.
A delegation of about 30 Islamic leaders, including the Australian Grand Mufti Ibrahim Abu Mohamed, visited the Al-Zatary refugee camp in Jordan earlier this week, to which thousands of Syrians have fled.
Keysar Trad, founder of the Islamic Friendship Association of Australia, said many of the delegation were in tears at conditions inside the camp.
Security analysts said they were unaware of Mr Toprakkaya before his name appeared on the US cable, which named people alleged to have some "demonstrated connections" or "association" with al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula.
Monash University's Shandon Harris-Hogan said "he's at the lower end of the list" and may have been included after simply trying to contact the group or one of its senior clerics, Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in 2011.
Unlike many other Australians known to have travelled to Syrian since the outbreak of the civil war, Mr Toprakkaya appeared to have no family connection to those involved. "He's not going there for any personal reason; he's making the decision to help, to fight, because it's something he believes in," said Mr Harris-Hogan, of the university's Global Terrorism Research Centre.
In the absence of any other evidence of a link to extremist groups, it would have been impossible for Australian security agencies to prevent him from travelling overseas, he said.
Deputy Opposition leader Julie Bishop said Mr Toprakkaya' s death "raised questions" over the effectiveness of Australian intelligence services, which had been monitoring him since at least 2010.
"There are numerous groups within the Syrian rebel forces, including several aligned with extremist organisations such as al-Qa'ida," she said.
"So it's important to know what how and where he came to join the forces and whether there are any links back to Australia."
Paul Maley
The Australian
October 7, 2013
SYRIA'S two-year-old civil war is spilling on to the streets of Sydney and Melbourne, with advocates on both sides claiming violence and persecution are commonplace.
Sonya El-Abbas, a Melbourne-based nurse who has twice visited Syria to assist in humanitarian relief efforts, said her husband's car had been firebombed and the family home attacked.
"Basically, they tried to burn it while we were in Syria and prior to that they tried to shoot at us at our home," Ms El-Abbas said. "We were copping it big time."
Ms El-Abbas, whose brother Robert was killed in the conflict last year, said her husband's car displayed the emblem of the Free Syrian Army, with whom she had worked during her trips to Syria.
EXPERTS: UN starts on eliminating weapons
Ms El-Abbas said Australians were heavily involved in the Syrian conflict although she stressed they were working in a humanitarian capacity, not as fighters. "I've seen heaps of people go after I've come back and a lot of people want to go," she said. "Every day I come across these people and not to fight, no."
Jamal Daoud, an opponent of the uprising, said he was routinely abused and threatened. Mr Daoud was assaulted on the street, with his attacker convicted.
"For the last one year we have seen a lot of attacks on the Shia," he said. "There have been a lot of attacks on Shia and Alawi businesses. We are also seeing boycotts of business."
Syria's civil war has pitted the country's Sunni Muslims against the Alawite regime of Bashar al-Assad. The Alawites are a Syrian-origin offshoot of Shia Islam.
In Australia, much of the sectarian division has been played out online, with Facebook pages and websites naming Shia businesses and urging boycotts.
Police have also seen a rise in the transmission of gruesome footage from the war, which proliferates quickly in the community via text message or social media.
Generally, though, police have played down suggestions the conflict was generating ethnic tensions in Australia, arguing much of the violence thought to have been triggered by the war has in fact been criminal or personal disputes overlaid with a sectarian veneer. However, there is no doubt the pipeline of Australians travelling to Syria is keeping police and ASIO busy. ASIO routinely interviews Australians known to have travelled to Syria, typically inviting people to meet at a restaurant. Asked if she had been contacted by ASIO, Ms Abbas said simply: "Of course".
"The minute you come back from the airport, even if you've got nothing on you they'll go, 'Go to Customs'," she said.
"(They) check your bags and see what photos you've got, they take your phone away."
The head of the Australian Syrian Association, Mohammad Al-Hamwi, agreed the war had exacerbated tensions. He had received more than 23 threats on his mobile phone. Mr Hamwi, whose group supported the uprising, said the two groups were wary of travelling into Shia or Sunni enclaves.
"There are some (Shia) areas where we don't go and vice versa," Mr Hamwi said.
And this from Janurary 2013
Pia Akerman and Dan Box
The Australian
Janurary 3,2013I
THE sister of a Melbourne man killed in Syria has vowed to follow in her brother's footsteps and travel to the war-torn country to provide humanitarian aid.
Sonya El-Abbas said a recent trip to Syria to learn more about the circumstances of her brother Roger's death had compelled her to return with medical supplies and other necessities to assist victims of the civil war.
"I'm so proud of Roger, he has done the right thing," said the registered nurse, who lives in Melbourne with her young family. "I'm going to follow what he was doing and what he started."
Ms El-Abbas said her trip had yielded first-hand accounts of how her brother, 23, was giving humanitarian aid when he was caught in crossfire.
Abbas, a kickboxer, is among three Australians known to have died in the Syrian conflict. Australian government agencies believe more than 100 citizens have joined the civil war, sparking fears a wave of home-grown jihadists with battle experience could emerge.
Overseas news footage purports to show the body of another Australian reportedly killed in the fighting mid last month, but offers no verification. The latest Australian fatality, former Melbourne bricklayer Yusuf Toprakkaya, has been hailed as a martyr after being killed on the weekend.
Mr Toprakkaya's family believe he was there for humanitarian reasons, though videos posted online show the 30-year-old posing with heavy weaponry and building homemade bombs.
This would make him the first Australian who was clearly involved in the fighting when killed.
His name and date of birth also correspond to a list in a secret 2010 cable from the US embassy in Canberra, which requested 23 Australians be added to a terrorist screening database. Ms El-Abbas backed a call by Sydney man Zaky Mallah, who was previously charged under anti-terror laws, for Australians to travel to Syria despite the dangers.
"There is a high chance that you will die," Mr Mallah said. "If that means death, then so be it. To die as a martyr is a great thing in our religion."
Australian Muslim leaders said they had raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to send to Syria, but there are fears among security agencies that some of this may be flowing to extremist groups.
A delegation of about 30 Islamic leaders, including the Australian Grand Mufti Ibrahim Abu Mohamed, visited the Al-Zatary refugee camp in Jordan earlier this week, to which thousands of Syrians have fled.
Keysar Trad, founder of the Islamic Friendship Association of Australia, said many of the delegation were in tears at conditions inside the camp.
Security analysts said they were unaware of Mr Toprakkaya before his name appeared on the US cable, which named people alleged to have some "demonstrated connections" or "association" with al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula.
Monash University's Shandon Harris-Hogan said "he's at the lower end of the list" and may have been included after simply trying to contact the group or one of its senior clerics, Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in 2011.
Unlike many other Australians known to have travelled to Syrian since the outbreak of the civil war, Mr Toprakkaya appeared to have no family connection to those involved. "He's not going there for any personal reason; he's making the decision to help, to fight, because it's something he believes in," said Mr Harris-Hogan, of the university's Global Terrorism Research Centre.
In the absence of any other evidence of a link to extremist groups, it would have been impossible for Australian security agencies to prevent him from travelling overseas, he said.
Deputy Opposition leader Julie Bishop said Mr Toprakkaya' s death "raised questions" over the effectiveness of Australian intelligence services, which had been monitoring him since at least 2010.
"There are numerous groups within the Syrian rebel forces, including several aligned with extremist organisations such as al-Qa'ida," she said.
"So it's important to know what how and where he came to join the forces and whether there are any links back to Australia."
Sydney Muslim Insurgent, Milad Bin Ahmad Shah al-Ahmadzai, arrested over Gay bisexual and swingers club shooting.
An Australian-born man known for his extreme views has been arrested over sex club shooting
Exclusive Yoni Bashan
The Daily Telegraph
October 8,2013
AN Australian-born man known to authorities for his radical Islamic views has been arrested and charged over an alleged near-fatal shooting outside a sex club in Sydney's north west earlier this year.
Goulburn Courthouse confirmed Milad Bin Ahmad Shah al-Ahmadzai, 23, was arrested this morning over the shooting of a 52-year-old man outside the Aarows nightclub on Bridge Street, Rydalmere on May 1.
The establishment is a 24-hour gay, bisexual and swingers club.
He is expected to appear in court this afternoon.
The victim - who told police his attackers were completely unknown to him - sustained significant injuries, including extensive damage to his back, foot, and groin - he had been shot several times in the carpark of the club by two men, with CCTV capturing the entire incident.
Ahmadzai has been under investigation by the Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad's Strike Force Maloney.
He was charged this morning with shoot with intent to murder, discharge firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily, assault in company with intent to rob while armed with a dangerous weapon, steal motor vehicle, damage property by fire and take/drive conveyance without consent of owner.
The stealing motor vehicle charge relates to cars that were stolen and used to carry out the job.
Police recovered the vehicles - one was fixed with a GoPro camera attached to the dashboard, which recorded one of the alleged assailants saying a prayer in Arabic en route to the sex club, asking for protection from being identified.
Two other men are believed to be involved in the botched hit and further arrests are expected.
Exclusive Yoni Bashan
The Daily Telegraph
October 8,2013
AN Australian-born man known to authorities for his radical Islamic views has been arrested and charged over an alleged near-fatal shooting outside a sex club in Sydney's north west earlier this year.
Goulburn Courthouse confirmed Milad Bin Ahmad Shah al-Ahmadzai, 23, was arrested this morning over the shooting of a 52-year-old man outside the Aarows nightclub on Bridge Street, Rydalmere on May 1.
The establishment is a 24-hour gay, bisexual and swingers club.
He is expected to appear in court this afternoon.
The victim - who told police his attackers were completely unknown to him - sustained significant injuries, including extensive damage to his back, foot, and groin - he had been shot several times in the carpark of the club by two men, with CCTV capturing the entire incident.
Ahmadzai has been under investigation by the Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad's Strike Force Maloney.
He was charged this morning with shoot with intent to murder, discharge firearm with intent to cause grievous bodily, assault in company with intent to rob while armed with a dangerous weapon, steal motor vehicle, damage property by fire and take/drive conveyance without consent of owner.
The stealing motor vehicle charge relates to cars that were stolen and used to carry out the job.
Police recovered the vehicles - one was fixed with a GoPro camera attached to the dashboard, which recorded one of the alleged assailants saying a prayer in Arabic en route to the sex club, asking for protection from being identified.
Two other men are believed to be involved in the botched hit and further arrests are expected.
Friday, October 04, 2013
About Time,Cop Killer,Michael Allan Jacobs,Jailed for life under new NSW Cop Killer Laws.
Michael Allan Jacobs becomes first person jailed for life without parole for killing police officer, Senior Constable
David Rixon
Amy Dale,Chieg Copurt Reporter
The Daily Telegraph.
October 4,2013
THE man who shot Senior Constable David Rixon has become the first person jailed for the term of his natural life for murdering a police officer.
Michael Allan Jacobs has this afternoon been sentenced to life with no parole for murdering Sen-Constable, the crime described by Justice Richard Button as "a life irrevocably taken"
Jacobs is the first person to be convicted of murdering a police officer since the O'Farrell government introduced legislation in 2011 to ensure such an offence is punished by a sentence to life with no parole.
He said the murder of a police officer "is a direct assault on the system of parliamentary democracy and the rule of law."
"The offender informed the intention to kill him," Justice Button said.
"That intention may have been held utterly fleetingly and irrationally ... but it has been established to a criminal standard."
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione and NSW police minister Mike Gallacher joined more than 20 police officers in court for the landmark sentence.
Sen-Constable Rixon was shot once in the chest with a bullet fired from a .38 calibre revolver after approaching Jacobs' stopped Holden Statesman for a random breath test early on March 2 last year.
The policeman returned fire and hit Jacobs three times, leaving the man with "an out of control drug addiction" critically wounded, before he collapsed from his injuries.
"The offender almost died from his injuries," Justice Button said, adding that in his dying moments Sen-Constable Rixon had handcuffed Jacobs to arrest him.
The court heard Jacobs screamed "ah die, I'm sorry sir, sorry" just after the shooting and while "lying gravely wounded could be heard repeatedly saying 'I'm sorry.'"
But Justice Button said he couldn't be satisfied "that the offender is responsible for this murder."
Police arrived shortly after the shooting but Sen-Constable Rixon couldn't be revived, while Jacobs received lifesaving surgery and eventually recovered after spending more than a month in hospital.
The Crown claimed Rixon was high on ice at the time, making him more prone to aggression, shot the policeman to avoid being locked up and convicted for repeatedly driving unlicensed.
Justice Button said of Jacobs's motive to avoid "being briefly refused bail or at worst a sentence of a matter of months ... the offender saw fit to fire a handgun at a police officer."
He said Sen-Constable Rixon would have had "less than a second before the shot was fired."
David Rixon
Amy Dale,Chieg Copurt Reporter
The Daily Telegraph.
October 4,2013
THE man who shot Senior Constable David Rixon has become the first person jailed for the term of his natural life for murdering a police officer.
Michael Allan Jacobs has this afternoon been sentenced to life with no parole for murdering Sen-Constable, the crime described by Justice Richard Button as "a life irrevocably taken"
Jacobs is the first person to be convicted of murdering a police officer since the O'Farrell government introduced legislation in 2011 to ensure such an offence is punished by a sentence to life with no parole.
He said the murder of a police officer "is a direct assault on the system of parliamentary democracy and the rule of law."
"The offender informed the intention to kill him," Justice Button said.
"That intention may have been held utterly fleetingly and irrationally ... but it has been established to a criminal standard."
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione and NSW police minister Mike Gallacher joined more than 20 police officers in court for the landmark sentence.
Sen-Constable Rixon was shot once in the chest with a bullet fired from a .38 calibre revolver after approaching Jacobs' stopped Holden Statesman for a random breath test early on March 2 last year.
The policeman returned fire and hit Jacobs three times, leaving the man with "an out of control drug addiction" critically wounded, before he collapsed from his injuries.
"The offender almost died from his injuries," Justice Button said, adding that in his dying moments Sen-Constable Rixon had handcuffed Jacobs to arrest him.
The court heard Jacobs screamed "ah die, I'm sorry sir, sorry" just after the shooting and while "lying gravely wounded could be heard repeatedly saying 'I'm sorry.'"
But Justice Button said he couldn't be satisfied "that the offender is responsible for this murder."
Police arrived shortly after the shooting but Sen-Constable Rixon couldn't be revived, while Jacobs received lifesaving surgery and eventually recovered after spending more than a month in hospital.
The Crown claimed Rixon was high on ice at the time, making him more prone to aggression, shot the policeman to avoid being locked up and convicted for repeatedly driving unlicensed.
Justice Button said of Jacobs's motive to avoid "being briefly refused bail or at worst a sentence of a matter of months ... the offender saw fit to fire a handgun at a police officer."
He said Sen-Constable Rixon would have had "less than a second before the shot was fired."
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