extreme Catholic 

 
Sale of the convent of St Margaret Mary (Staten Island) via Atlas Shrugged

Iran and the Saudis have more than enough money to come in and buy America's vacant Catholic convents, schools, rectories, seminaries, and churches. To the Catholics, it is cash, and cash is necessary to pay for the sexual abuse settlements. To Muslims, this is more than real estate, it is a monument to the triumph of Islam and the retreat of Christianity. Photographs and videos fuel a propaganda campaign demonstrating that it's only a matter of time before the West is dead, enslaved, or converted to Islam. This not the loss of the Hagia Sophia, but in principle, the same.

Labels: catholic, islam, new york

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 7:54 PM   Permalink  

 
Odd Things about the Fort Hood Shooting (2) This is just a personal observation as I've not been methodical about writing down the sources, but it seems to me that the response to demonstrate this was a not a terrorist act, and indeed not even a criminal act, comes a little too fast and too well-packaged to be completely a spontaneous reaction to the events of Thursday.

There's a therapeutic interpretation (stress drove Major Hasan to insanity). This one is popular with the liberals and undoubtedly with the lawyers who will be handling the still-living Major Hasan. Members of Hasan's family rushed to any reporters to paint the suspect as a model officer and model citizen, incapable of anger or rage, and moderate in all his views.

There's the jihadi interpretation -- this was a ''shahid'' or martyrdom attack. This brings a sort of fame and glory, which I presume is automatic if one shouts Allahu Akbar ("God is Great") as one kills others in the name of Islam. This would be popular with radical Islamists and those in sympathy with them.

Labels: islam, terrorism

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 7:11 PM   Permalink  

 
Did the FBI immediately deny the Fort Hood Shooting was terrorist?

These blogs seem to have thought so.
North Star National. Mark Wilson
North Start National, Andy Hefty
Examiner, Larry Amon

The only official comment I was able to find was that the question of it being a terrorist attack or motivated by terrorism is not yet known. Mark Steyn remarked that if one applies the FBI's narrow definition of terrorism, it only applies to those carrying a Al Queda membership card.

Labels: crime, islam, terrorism

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 3:07 PM   Permalink  

 
Cardinal Jose Policarpo warns Catholic women

LISBON, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Portugal's Cardinal Jose Policarpo has warned young women in the predominantly Catholic nation against marrying Muslims. "The advice that I give to young Portuguese girls is -- be careful with relationships, think twice about marrying Muslims," the patriarch of Lisbon said. "It is getting into a pile of troubles, that not even Allah knows where would end."

Policarpo made the statement at a gathering on Tuesday evening in a well-known casino that organizes meetings of public figures with paying guests. His comments were repeated on several television stations on Wednesday.

There are about 40,000 Muslims in Portugal, which like neighboring Spain was once ruled by Muslims from north Africa, where many Muslim immigrants come from. The country's biggest Islamic organization said it was upset by the comments.

"We were in a way hurt by the choice of words by the patriarch of Lisbon about our community and about the dialogue that we have sought with all religious denominations, and especially with the Christian religions," the Islamic Community of Lisbon said in a statement.

The Vatican discourages Catholic women from marrying Muslims and Policarpo echoed that position in blunt terms. "I know that if a young European of Christian background marries a Muslim, as soon as they go to his country, they'll be subject to the regime of Muslim women," Policarpo said. "Just imagine it." Policarpo, a leading cardinal who was tipped as a contender in the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict, also said dialogue with Muslims was not easy in Portugal. "It is only possible to dialogue with those who want to have dialogue, for example with our Muslim brothers dialogue is very difficult," he said.

Labels: catholic, church, guest theologian, islam, marriage

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 11:28 PM   Permalink  

 
Christian Post: Malaysia Bans Catholic Paper for Use of 'Allah'

The Malaysian government has put a stop to a Catholic newspaper over the use of the word “Allah” in its Malay-language edition, the paper’s editor reported Thursday.

Father Lawrence Andrew, editor of The Herald weekly newspaper, said the government ordered the Malay edition to stop running until courts resolve a ban on the paper’s use of “Allah” to refer to God, according to the news site Malaysiakini.com.

“The prohibition amounts to persecution,” Andrew told The Associated Press. “It curtails our freedom of expression and diminishes our rights as citizens…. We are perplexed and we do not think that the prohibition is on solid legal ground.”

Malaysia has a Muslim-majority. It often, with Turkey, is near the top of the lists of Muslim-dominated countries which claim to have a tolerance of non-Islam religions. This action doesn't seem to be an expression of that.

"Allah" is not a name but the generic word for God which is an Arabic word which predates the prophet Mohammad. Its use by a Catholic newspaper is not blasphemous.

Labels: anti-catholic, blashemy, islam

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 9:34 PM   Permalink  

 
Back in time for 2009 Anno Domini: Crucifixion

Caroline Glick at the Jerusalem Post reported on Dec 25, 2008:

On [December 23, 2008], Hamas legislators marked the Christmas season by passing a Shari'a criminal code for the Palestinian Authority. Among other things, it legalizes crucifixion.

Via Little Green Footballs

This is not an encouraging sign that Hammas can be engaged in negotiations to bring about peace.

The article didn't provide details for what crimes would merit crucifixion. This is a Roman and non-Islamic penalty. The appearance of crucifixion in the Koran is only in the context of the alleged crucifixion of the prophet Isa by the Romans and never suggested as penalty to be imposed by Sharia.

Labels: death penalty, islam

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 11:53 AM   Permalink  

 
First time I have seen Muslim prayer beads

newsbusters.org which did a vidcap from CNBC

The prince is discussing his ownership of Citigroup which is reported at 3.6%. The Saudi royal family is the single largest shareholder of Citigroup.

For readers who might be aware of the teaching of the Koran on usury, it does seem contradictory to seek ownership of the Western bank which practices banking in contravention of the Koran.

The beads held by the prince might have been the basis from the Rosary which began to emerge as a popular devotion in the decades following the First Crusade.

Labels: banking, islam, rosary

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 8:14 PM   Permalink  

 
Gibbons apologizes: Guardian

I have a great respect for the Islamic religion and would not knowingly offend anyone and I am sorry if I caused any distress.

It's probably cheap courage on my part to suggest that Gillian Gibbons should not have apologized but have been defiant.

But like the global Muslim support for suicide bombers and calls for the assassination of cartoonists, and this demonstrates that Islam really is different religion, state, and culture in what emotions it inspires. I don't envy the job of apologists for Islam as a religion of peace given what has been going on in Sudan and in the suburbs of Paris.

The apologizers for Christians excesses are busy as Mark Steyn point them out.

If the real threat of death for allowing her student to name a teddy bear did not reduce the great respect that Gillian Gibbons has for that religion, what would it take to change her mind?

Labels: islam, mark steyn

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 10:28 PM   Permalink