U.S. stock market falls as Egypt unrest continues

To document how interconnected the world markets are and how much a blessing the Mubarek regime has been to international investors (at the expense of Egyptians and with the knowledge of investors of course), stocks in America fell sharply on Friday amidst unrest. Here are some articles with some interesting data in them:

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/28/AR2011012806669_pf.html 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703956604576110314193537644.html

http://www.cnbc.com/id/41315763

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2ND-bEC9VI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWBfw1tS2A0

All document the perfect knowledge foreign investors have of Egypt's reality, the oppressive regime, the US weapons, the torture, the lack of human rights, but still profit drivers them to invest there.  It is this form of imperialism that will now be used as a threat to the Middle East. This week Turkey's stock market will fall and they will be a bit upset, then oil prices will go up and they will start to show the people in Tunis and Egypt and the region collectively how bad they will suffer as a result of their rebellion. The answer is to promote a new leader, to default on all international debt (Egypt=20 billion) to declare that it was accumulated under illicit means and to develop our plan for stimulus producing transnational railroad running from Tunis to the Khaleej over time. Please see our article on such an idea HERE.

Only the physical development of the Middle East, can create productive jobs, and only structuring an economy away form the Western powers will make that possible. We will establish more of this in coming discussions but it would require Arab engineers design plans of high speed rail default from the World Bank with a guarantee to collaborate with South America, Iran, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, and other private investors utilizing sovereign credit systems to issue currencies that will politically, economically and socially connect the Middle East.  This will improve the knowledge and production capacities of the whole region, connect the region, for trade, and develop cooperation that can begin to undue the damage of Skykes-Picot. We need big thinkers during big times and inshAllah, a plan like this, or something similar will allow these uprisings to transfor into truly revolutionary endeavors. Here is to big thinking and praying for the best... more later insaAllah ta ala.

Egyptian praying protesters being attacked on BRIDGE

Wikileaks reveal Umar Suleiman is US puppet!

NOTE: The following memo released as Mubarek on orders from the US sets up Omar Sulayman for influence in the new government of Egypt should be widely circulated as it documents, “his overarching regional goal was combating radicalism, especially in Gaza, Iran, and Sudan.” He stressed his support for undermining Hamas control of Gaza and the restoration of the Palestinian Authority, which has worked closely with both the US and Israel.“ Egyptians must tear down the old and begin anew... inshaAllah they will see through the plots of the planners. Power sharing between the old party and Baradei's secularism will not alter course in Egypt.

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 000746NOFORN SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/26/2019

TAGS: PREL MASS MOPS PARM KPAL IS IR SO EG SU

SUBJECT: ADMIRAL MULLEN'S MEETING WITH EGIS CHIEF SOLIMAN

Classified By: Ambassador Margaret Scobey per 1.4 (b) and (d).

¶1. Key Points:

- (S/NF) During an April 21 meeting with Chairman of the

Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen, Egyptian

General Intelligence Service Chief Omar Soliman explained

that his overarching regional goal was combating radicalism,

especially in Gaza, Iran, and Sudan.

- (S/NF) On Gaza, Soliman said Egypt must "confront" Iranian

attempts to smuggle arms to Gaza and "stop" arms smuggling

through Egyptian territory.

- (S/NF) Soliman shared his vision on Palestinian

reconciliation and bringing the Palestinian Authority back to

Gaza, saying "a Gaza in the hands of radicals will never be

calm."

- (S/NF) On Iran, Soliman said Egypt was "succeeding" in

preventing Iran from funneling financial support to Hamas

through Egypt. Soliman hoped that the U.S. could encourage

Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions and stop interfering in

regional affairs, but cautioned that Iran "must pay a price"

for its actions.

- (S/NF) Egypt is "very concerned" with stability in Sudan,

Soliman said, and was focusing efforts on convincing the

Chadean and Sudanese presidents to stop supporting each

others' insurgencies, supporting negotiations between

factions in Darfur, and implementing the Comprehensive Peace

Agreement (CPA). "Egypt does not want a divided Sudan,"

Soliman stressed.

----

Gaza

----

¶2. (S/NF) Soliman said radicalism was the "backbone" of

regional security threats, adding that radicalism in Gaza

posed a particularly serious threat to Egyptian national

security. Soliman said Egypt must "confront" Iranian

attempts to smuggle arms to Gaza and stop arms smuggling

through Egyptian territory. "Egypt is circled by

radicalism," he continued, expressing concern over

instability in Sudan and Somalia as well. Egypt's own

successful campaign against radicalism in the 1990s provided

a useful lesson in how to counteract extremist groups by

reducing their ability to operate and raise funds, in

additional to educating people on the dangers of extremism.

Soliman noted that only the Muslim Brotherhood remained and

the Egyptian government continued to "make it difficult" for

them to operate.

¶3. (S/NF) "We do not want incidents like Gaza to inflame

public anger," Soliman said, adding that the Gaza conflict

put "moderate (Arab) regimes" in a corner. To prevent

another outbreak of violence, Egypt is focusing on

Palestinian reconciliation and a durable cease-fire between

Hamas and Israel. On reconciliation, Soliman explained, the

ultimate goal was to return the Palestinian Authority to

Gaza, as "Gaza in the hands of radicals will never be calm."

The problem, however, is that the PA cannot return to Gaza

without Hamas' acquiescence. Soliman said the PA must return

before the January 2010 Palestinian elections, or else Gazans

would be afraid to vote for moderates.

¶4. (S/NF) Stability in Gaza also depends on giving people a

more "normal" life, Soliman continued, saying Israel must be

convinced to regularly open the border crossings for

legitimate commercial activity. The current system - where

Egypt informs Israel of a humanitarian shipment and Israel

waits two days before accepting or rejecting the shipment for

transfer to Gaza - does not adequately meet people's needs.

¶5. (S/NF) On Palestinian reconciliation, Soliman said he

expected the factions to return to Egypt on April 26 to

discuss his proposal on establishing a high committee

comprised of the various factions. The committee would be

responsible for preparing for the January 2010 elections,

monitoring reconstruction, and reforming the security

services in Gaza. On reconstruction, the committee would

issue licenses for companies eligible to participate on

projects, but the PA would decide who receives the money for

private and government contracts. Arab governments would

assist with reforming the security services and could base

security assistance out of Egypt. Soliman doubted that Hamas

would agree to the high committee, but said it was important

CAIRO 00000746 002 OF 002

to keep Hamas and Fatah talking, so they would not resort to

violence.

-----------------------

Iran, Counter Smuggling

-----------------------

¶6. (S/NF) Iran is "very active in Egypt," Soliman said.

Iranian financial support to Hamas amounted to $25 million a

month, but he said Egypt was "succeeding" in preventing

financial support from entering Gaza through Egypt. Iran has

tried several times to pay the salaries for the al-Qassam

Battalions, but Egypt had succeeded in preventing the money

from reaching Gaza. Soliman said the Egyptian government had

arrested a "big Hezbollah cell," which was Hezbollah's first

attempt to stand up a cell within Egypt. Iran was also

trying to recruit support from the Sinai Bedouins, he

claimed, in order to facilitate arms smuggling to Gaza. So

far, he continued, Egypt had successfully stopped Hamas from

rearming. Soliman noted that in six months, MOD will have

completed the construction of a subterranean steel wall along

the Egypt-Gaza border to prevent smuggling. He warned,

however, that people will find an alternative to the tunnels

to smuggle arms, goods, people, and money. Admiral Mullen

expressed appreciation for Egypt's efforts to combat

smuggling, adding that he hoped Egypt felt comfortable enough

to ask for additional border security assistance at any time.

¶7. (S/NF) Egypt has "started a confrontation with Hezbollah

and Iran," Soliman stressed, and "we will not allow Iran to

operate in Egypt." Soliman said Egypt had sent a clear

message to Iran that if they interfere in Egypt, Egypt will

interfere in Iran, adding that EGIS had already begun

recruiting agents in Iraq and Syria. Soliman hoped the U.S.

would "not walk the same track as the Europeans" in regards

to negotiating with Iran and warned against only focusing on

one issue at time, like Iran's nuclear weapons program. Iran

must "pay the price" for its actions and not be allowed to

interfere in regional affairs. "If you want Egypt to

cooperate with you on Iran, we will," Soliman added, "it

would take a big burden off our shoulders."

-----

Sudan

-----

¶8. (S/NF) Egypt is very concerned with stability in Sudan,

Soliman said, but asked for the U.S. to be "patient" with the

Sudanese government and give Egypt time to help the Sudanese

government deal with its problems. He applauded the

appointment of Special Envoy Gration and recent U.S.

statements on Sudan. Soliman said Egypt was focused on three

areas for promoting stability in Sudan: 1) repairing the

relationship between Chadean President Deby and Sudanese

President Bashir and stopping their support for each others'

insurgencies 2) supporting negotiations between the various

factions in Darfur, and 3) implementing the CPA. Soliman

encouraged a larger role for French President Sarkozy in

mediating between Chad and Sudan. He said that Southern

Sudan "feels no benefits from unity," and Egypt is trying to

bridge the "physiological gap" between north and south itself

by providing humanitarian assistance. "Egypt does not want a

divided Sudan," he stressed. Admiral Mullen replied that

Egypt's leadership on Sudan was critical and looked forward

to increased cooperation between Egypt and Special Envoy

Gration.

------------------

Piracy and Somalia

------------------

¶9. (S/NF) Admiral Mullen stressed that piracy was an

international crime that needed an international solution,

especially on support for trying captured pirates. The U.S.

did not want Somalia to become the next safe haven for

al-Qaeda after Pakistan, he stressed. Soliman replied that

there were not enough ships in the region to provide adequate

security against pirate attacks and recommended that the

international community, through the UN Security Council,

focus counter piracy efforts on the Somali shore.

¶10. (U) Admiral Mullen did not have the opportunity to clear

before his departure.

SCOBEY

Obama's Teleprompter correctly Interprets Hillary's Speech on Egypt

"Who is the Happy One?" - Sheikh Muhammad al Mukhtar Ash-Shinqitee

Robert Kaplan (neo-con) @ foreignpolicy.com - The New Arab World Order

Note: While I don't see any potential for spillover in Saudi Arabia. It will become crucial that if Egyptians rid themselves of Mubarek, that Jordanian's respond similarly. However, this inward looking causality is certainly something we all need to recognize, as the dust clears and opportunities for change are presented, the reality that we lack any solution will make the development of alternative institutions calling for Islamic governance all the more important. The international system is corrupt and any referral to it will bring only disgrace. We need internal development and connecting awareness of the problems that plague our realities. Awareness of the problem however only confirms that Islam is the solution. Here is to all those that understand the time is now for pressing further. May Allah (swt) establish an opportunity for Islam to be proclaimed openly in the Arab world so that the intellectual beauty of Islam can once more be displayed, may He continue to protect the mujahideen and guide us all to His siratal mustaqeem, Amin!

The most telling aspect of the anti-regime demonstrations that have rocked the Arab world is what they are not about: They are not about the existential plight of the Palestinians under Israeli occupation; nor are they at least overtly anti-Western or even anti-American. The demonstrators have directed their ire against unemployment, tyranny, and the general lack of dignity and justice in their own societies. This constitutes a sea change in modern Middle Eastern history.

Of course, such was the course of demonstrations against the Shah of Iran in 1978 and 1979, before that revolution was hijacked by Islamists. But in none of these Arab countries is there a charismatic Islamic radical who is the oppositional focal point, like Ayatollah Khomeini was; nor are the various Islamist organizations in the Arab world as theoretical and ideological in their anti-Americanism as was the Shiite clergy. The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt functions to a significant extent as a community self-help organization and may not necessarily try to hijack the uprising to the extent as happened in Iran. And even Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is not quite so identified with American interests as was the shah. The differences between 2011 in Egypt and 1978 in Iran are more profound than the similarities.

But the dangers to U.S. interests of what comes next in the Arab world are hard to exaggerate. Were demonstrations to spread in a big way to Jordan and Saudi Arabia, a catastrophe could be looming. A more enlightened, pro-American regime than the one now in Jordan is hard to imagine. As for the Saudi royal family, it is probably the worst possible form of government for that country except for any other that might credibly replace it. Imagine all that weaponry the United States has sold the Saudis over the decades falling into the hands of Wahhabi radicals. Imagine Yemen were it divided once again into northern and southern parts, or with even weaker central control issuing from the capital city of Sanaa. The United States would be virtually on its own battling al Qaeda there.Furthermore, whatever the outcome of these uprisings, it seems clear that Arabs and their new leaders will be focused for years to come on the imperfections within their own societies -- perhaps to a greater degree than on injustices committed by Israel and the West abroad. Indeed, in Tunisia the demonstrations were partially spurred by the WikiLeaks cables that showed Washington deeply ambivalent about the regime and not likely to stand with it in a crisis. Politics may thus become normalized in the Arab world, rather than radicalized. Remember: A signal goal of al Qaeda was the toppling of such regimes as Mubarak's, which oppressed their own people and were seen as toadies to American and Israeli interests. If Mubarak goes, al Qaeda will lose a recruiting argument.

Right now all these uprisings look somewhat the same, as they did in Eastern Europe in 1989. But like in Eastern Europe, each country will end up a bit differently, with politics reflecting its particular constituency and state of institutional and educational development. Poland and Hungary had relatively easy paths to capitalism and democracy; Romania and Bulgaria were sunk in abject poverty for years; Albania suffered occasional bouts of anarchy; and Yugoslavia descended into civil war that killed hundreds of thousands of people. The Arab world is in some ways more diverse than Eastern Europe, and we should therefore heed the uniqueness of each country's political and historical situation in calibrating U.S. policy.

President Barack Obama's administration should stand up for first principles of civil society, nonviolence, and human rights everywhere; and where an autocrat appears on the way out, as happened in Tunisia and might happen in Egypt, the United States can play a constructive role in easing his removal, even as it reaches out to the new political forces at play. American diplomacy in the Arab world is about to become even more intricate. No longer will it be a matter of having one telephone number to call in each country. Henceforth, Washington will have to deal with dozens of political personalities to get the same things done as it used to with just one leader. Democracy equals complexity.

CNN Propaganda: Portraying the Revolters as violent

The idea of propaganda like this is to report unjustified violence and discredit legitimate opposition as violence. The prisoners have been let go and members of the Ikhwan al Muslimeen are on Al-Jazeerah in Arabic exclaiming that there was no violent prison outbreak. Leave it to CNN to report otherwise without verification.  Do not rule out violence in coming days if Egyptians refuse to stop. The rhetoric of the US has relinquished them of responsibility. They are certainly busy polling, seeing if Egyptians in fact believe that the stated withdrawal of aid if force is used. Additionally, it seems the efforts of Hillary Clinton have largely worked to steer the population in Egypt toward believing the US can be swayed to support immediate removal of Mubarek. Make no mistake about it however, the US is not prepared for and will not accept Mubarek and the regime folding in Egypt, there is way too much of what they term "national interest" at stake. The ulama in Saudi Arabia, scared because their stock portfolios are declining will soon be instructed to chastise these revolts for lawlessness and many people will try to get the Egyptians to go home and wait for a slow transition. However, if they do not listen and obey they will be shot and killed and the American weaponry will be utilized. Make no mistake about it, any violence in Egypt can only occur with US go ahead. If the intimidation does not work, then you have a real revolt on your hands.... when CNN starts its manipulation, then contingency plans are in place. If Baradei cannot calm them down and get them to accept gradual transition in the name of security, its over and the region may be engulfed in flames. These prisoners were illegally imprisoned for political views, are routinely tortured and yet there is no mention of this reality in such one-sided reporting. Perhaps they would like to also tell you, that Egyptian prisons are favorites of the rendition program. Please keep all of the Egyptians in your du'aa, and remember to pray for those prisoners who lost their freedom simply because they call to Islam. 

Now I think we'll reframe that debate...

Does America want to finally have a conversation about its foreign policy? or perhaps someone will be so kind so as to communicate with them in a language they understand???

State of the Ummah: Discussing the Role of IslamPolicy.com

State of the Ummah: Discussing the Role of IslamPolicy.com from Younus Abdullah Muhammad on Vimeo.

In this conversation we discuss a bit of IslamPolicy's vision and objectives and dissect some of the contemporary conceptual issues of the ummah today, alongside of the importance of initiating discourse about the specific solution at this stage. 

Families of Egyptian businessmen leave Cairo

sourceCAIRO -- An official at Cairo airport says 19 private jets carrying families of wealthy Egyptian and Arab businessmen have flown out of the capital.

The official said the jets left Saturday carrying dozens of family members of Egypt's business elite. He said most of the planes were headed for Dubai.

The exodus of the families comes as Egypt enters its sixth day of mass unrest directed against Mubarak and what they say have been policies that further enrich the wealthy at the average citizen's expense.The passengers included the families of telecom mogul Naguib Sawiris, the executive chairman of Orascom Telecom, and Hussein Salem, a hotel tycoon and close confidant of President Hosni Mubarak.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

Robert Fisk: Egypt: Death throes of a dictatorship

(Source)

The Egyptian tanks, the delirious protesters sitting atop them, the flags, the 40,000 protesters weeping and crying and cheering in Freedom Square and praying around them, the Muslim Brotherhood official sitting amid the tank passengers. Should this be compared to the liberation of Bucharest? Climbing on to an American-made battle tank myself, I could only remember those wonderful films of the liberation of Paris. A few hundred metres away, Hosni Mubarak's black-uniformed security police were still firing at demonstrators near the interior ministry. It was a wild, historical victory celebration, Mubarak's own tanks freeing his capital from his own dictatorship.

In the pantomime world of Mubarak himself – and of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in Washington – the man who still claims to be president of Egypt swore in the most preposterous choice of vice-president in an attempt to soften the fury of the protesters – Omar Suleiman, Egypt's chief negotiator with Israel and his senior intelligence officer, a 75-year-old with years of visits to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and four heart attacks to his credit. How this elderly apparatchik might be expected to deal with the anger and joy of liberation of 80 million Egyptians is beyond imagination. When I told the demonstrators on the tank around me the news of Suleiman's appointment, they burst into laughter.

Their crews, in battledress and smiling and in some cases clapping their hands, made no attempt to wipe off the graffiti that the crowds had spray-painted on their tanks. "Mubarak Out – Get Out", and "Your regime is over, Mubarak" have now been plastered on almost every Egyptian tank on the streets of Cairo. On one of the tanks circling Freedom Square was a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Beltagi. Earlier, I had walked beside a convoy of tanks near the suburb of Garden City as crowds scrambled on to the machines to hand oranges to the crews, applauding them as Egyptian patriots. However crazed Mubarak's choice of vice-president and his gradual appointment of a powerless new government of cronies, the streets of Cairo proved what the United States and EU leaders have simply failed to grasp. It is over.

Mubarak's feeble attempts to claim that he must end violence on behalf of the Egyptian people – when his own security police have been responsible for most of the cruelty of the past five days – has elicited even further fury from those who have spent 30 years under his sometimes vicious dictatorship. For there are growing suspicions that much of the looting and arson was carried out by plainclothes cops – including the murder of 11 men in a rural village in the past 24 hours – in an attempt to destroy the integrity of the protesters campaigning to throw Mubarak out of power. The destruction of a number of communications centres by masked men – which must have been co-ordinated by some form of institution – has also raised suspicions that the plainclothes thugs who beat many of the demonstrators were to blame.

But the torching of police stations across Cairo and in Alexandria and Suez and other cities was obviously not carried out by plainclothes cops. Late on Friday, driving to Cairo 40 miles down the Alexandria highway, crowds of young men had lit fires across the highway and, when cars slowed down, demanded hundreds of dollars in cash. Yesterday morning, armed men were stealing cars from their owners in the centre of Cairo.

Infinitely more terrible was the vandalism at the Egyptian National Museum. After police abandoned this greatest of ancient treasuries, looters broke into the red-painted building and smashed 4,000-year-old pharaonic statues, Egyptian mummies and magnificent wooden boats, originally carved – complete with their miniature crews – to accompany kings to their graves. Glass cases containing priceless figurines were bashed in, the black-painted soldiers inside pushed over. Again, it must be added that there were rumours before the discovery that police caused this vandalism before they fled the museum on Friday night. Ghastly shades of the Baghdad museum in 2003. It wasn't as bad as that looting, but it was a most awful archeological disaster.

In my night journey from 6th October City to the capital, I had to slow down when darkened vehicles loomed out of the darkness. They were smashed, glass scattered across the road, slovenly policemen pointing rifles at my headlights. One jeep was half burned out. They were the wreckage of the anti-riot police force which the protesters forced out of Cairo on Friday. Those same demonstrators last night formed a massive circle around Freedom Square to pray, "Allah Alakbar" thundering into the night air over the city.

And there are also calls for revenge. An al-Jazeera television crew found 23 bodies in the Alexandria mortuary, apparently shot by the police. Several had horrifically mutilated faces. Eleven more bodies were discovered in a Cairo mortuary, relatives gathering around their bloody remains and screaming for retaliation against the police.

Cairo now changes from joy to sullen anger within minutes. Yesterday morning, I walked across the Nile river bridge to watch the ruins of Mubarak's 15-storey party headquarters burn. In front stood a vast poster advertising the benefits of the party – pictures of successful graduates, doctors and full employment, the promises which Mubarak's party had failed to deliver in 30 years – outlined by the golden fires curling from the blackened windows of the party headquarters. Thousands of Egyptians stood on the river bridge and on the motorway flyovers to take pictures of the fiercely burning building – and of the middle-aged looters still stealing chairs and desks from inside.

Yet the moment a Danish television team arrived to film exactly the same scenes, they were berated by scores of people who said that they had no right to film the fires, insisting that Egyptians were proud people who would never steal or commit arson. This was to become a theme during the day: that reporters had no right to report anything about this "liberation" that might reflect badly upon it. Yet they were still remarkably friendly and – despite Obama's pusillanimous statements on Friday night – there was not the slightest manifestation of hostility against the United States. "All we want – all – is Mubarak's departure and new elections and our freedom and honour," a 30-year-old psychiatrist told me. Behind her, crowds of young men were clearing up broken crash barriers and road intersection fences from the street – an ironic reflection on the well-known Cairo adage that Egyptians will never, ever clean their roads.

Mubarak's allegation that these demonstrations and arson – this combination was a theme of his speech refusing to leave Egypt – were part of a "sinister plan" is clearly at the centre of his claim to continued world recognition. Indeed, Obama's own response – about the need for reforms and an end to such violence – was an exact copy of all the lies Mubarak has been using to defend his regime for three decades. It was deeply amusing to Egyptians that Obama – in Cairo itself, after his election – had urged Arabs to grasp freedom and democracy. These aspirations disappeared entirely when he gave his tacit if uncomfortable support to the Egyptian president on Friday. The problem is the usual one: the lines of power and the lines of morality in Washington fail to intersect when US presidents have to deal with the Middle East. Moral leadership in America ceases to exist when the Arab and Israeli worlds have to be confronted.

And the Egyptian army is, needless to say, part of this equation. It receives much of the $1.3bn of annual aid from Washington. The commander of that army, General Tantawi – who just happened to be in Washington when the police tried to crush the demonstrators – has always been a very close personal friend of Mubarak. Not a good omen, perhaps, for the immediate future.

So the "liberation" of Cairo – where, grimly, there came news last night of the looting of the Qasr al-Aini hospital – has yet to run its full course. The end may be clear. The tragedy is not over.

The main developments: A nation in turmoil

Protests Undeterred by threats from the Mubarak regime, tens of thousands of protesters swarmed on to the streets of Egypt's cities. Buildings burned, and police and some elements of the army fired mainly rubber bullets on crowds.

Casualties The death toll from two days of unrest was put at 62 by officials, and nearly twice that by independent news agencies. More than 20 bodies were seen in an Alexandria mortuary by an al-Jazeera crew. There were casualties yesterday, including an unknown number when 1,000 people tried to storm the interior ministry and were shot at by police.

Regime The cabinet, as ordered by Mubarak, resigned yesterday morning. Mubarak, 82, then named his intelligence chief and confidant Omar Suleiman as vice-president. Mubarak's sons landed in London, said the BBC.

Restrictions The curfew was extended so that it runs from 4pm to 8am, but was ignored by tens of thousands across the country. Tourist access to the pyramids was banned, and banks will close today.

Looting Cairo residents boarded up homes against gangs of thugs roaming the streets with knives and sticks, and set up neighbourhood watches armed with guns, clubs and knives yesterday as looting engulfed the capital, despite the deployment of troops. At least some violence was perpetrated by police to discredit protesters.

Flights Hundreds of people packed Cairo's main airport yesterday hoping for a flight – 1,500 to 2,000 flocked to Cairo International, many without reservations, but Western carriers were cancelling or delaying services. All non-essential travel to Egypt is ill-advised.

The UK David Cameron unites with Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel to warn Egypt to avoid violence against civilians who they said had 'legitimate grievances'. They called for 'free and fair elections'.

Voices of protest

"I've never seen men so angry, yet so happy to be expressing their anger. I walked next to girls in hijabs screaming for the downfall of Hosni Mubarak. I walked behind men begging God for freedom.

Courtney Graves, American living in Giza, in email to the BBC

"I have to pay 150 pounds a day to bribe police officers to let me sell on this pavement. How can I be this educated and not find proper work?"

Ramadan Mohamed, Law graduate selling sunglasses on Cairo street

"I'm standing here to defend and to protect our national treasure."

Farid Saad, Engineer, one of the men protecting the museum

"They are torching down the prisons. Our lives and property are at risk. Get out of the way."

Unknown shopper, Overheard echoing the anxieties of many as they raced to stock up at stores

"The crowds are very pro-army. I filmed an amazing moment when a charismatic one-star general addressed the public and spoke of the importance of maintaining public order. People kept shouting, are you with or against Mubarak? He answered that his mission is making sure the looting stops, and that the issue of who governs is the people's decision, not the army's, and that government should be civilian."

Issandr El Amrani, Blogging as The Arabist

Authentic Tawheed - Shaikh Faisal

Images of our brothers and sisters

http://totallycoolpix.com/2011/01/the-egypt-protests/

Saudi King Vows Support For Mubarak

RIYADH - Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah ensures Mohamed Hosni Mubarak of his support amid nationwide protests against the Egyptian president's three-decade-long rule.

In a Saturday telephone conversation with Mubarak, Abdullah Ibn Abdulaziz Al Saud described the popular movements as "tampering with Egypt's security and stability in the name of freedom of expression,” AFP reported.

On Saturday, protesters took to the streets for the fifth-straight day. At least 100 people were reportedly killed during the crackdown by the security forces, which were earlier reinforced by tank battalions and Army soldiers.

The entire cabinet has resigned and a curfew has been extended in three cities of Cairo, Suez and Alexandria.

Talking to Abdullah, however, Mubarak claimed that “the situation is stable” and alleged that the outraged public was seeking “to achieve strange and suspicious objectives.”

Unfazed by the countrywide unease, the Egyptian head of state has promised political and economic reforms, but has not mentioned anything on relaxing his grip on power.

The Saudi king branded the protesters as "intruders" and said, “Saudi Arabia stands with all its power with the government and people of Egypt."

Take the book with Strength

Allahu Akbar

فكر الأمريكان عن الدين الإسلامي و رد أحد الطلاب عليهم

the world’s leading merchant of death and destruction.”

ELLSBERG: Recently in relation to Wikileaks

They have all the tools that have kept most guilty secrets secret for far too long, enough secrets, enough guilty secrets, long enough to get us into Vietnam, which was a crazy adventure, or into Iraq, which was a crazy adventure, or into escalation in Afghanistan, equally crazy. Had the dissenting opinion within the administration itself been leaked, or just testified to honestly and openly by officials who knew that the policy was hopeless, we wouldn't have gotten into those wars. So it's not--the fact is that their ability to keep secrets is very great, and the way they do it is without actually prosecuting people, up till now. But in previous administrations the way they did it simply was threatening to take away clearance, take away job, take away access, promotion, all the things that actually threaten even a marriage.

Egypt - I swear to God they are traitor

Stratfor.com issues Red Alert! Hamas entering Egypt and Security Forces responsible for Looting!

The following is a report from a STRATFOR source in Hamas. Hamas, which formed in Gaza as an outgrowth of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), has an interest in exaggerating its role and coordination with the MB in this crisis. The following information has not been confirmed. Nonetheless, there is a great deal of concern building in Israel and the United States in particular over the role of the MB in the demonstrations and whether a political opening will be made for the Islamist organization in Egypt.


The Egyptian police are no longer patrolling the Rafah border crossing into Gaza. Hamas armed men are entering into Egypt and are closely collaborating with the MB. The MB has fully engaged itself in the demonstrations, and they are unsatisfied with the dismissal of the Cabinet. They are insisting on a new Cabinet that does not include members of the ruling National Democratic Party.


Security forces in plainclothes are engaged in destroying public property in order to give the impression that many protesters represent a public menace. The MB is meanwhile forming people’s committees to protect public property and also to coordinate demonstrators’ activities, including supplying them with food, beverages and first aid.

Federal Crisis Investigation Committee shows Bankers in bed with US Government

REPORT AVAILABLE HERE

The Afghan Jihad Is The Reason For The World's Salvation And Especially The Islamic World

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful.

Allah Almighty creates a reason for everything, whether for the existence or continuation of something or for its non-existence or disappearance. The Almighty is He who causes effects. When He wants to bring something into existence or remove it, He appoints a cause or causes for that.

Two decades ago, the world witnessed, with the permission of Allah SwT; the world, and most especially the Islamic peoples, the salvation of the world from the great evil; the evil of the Soviets, who wanted to spread their control over the earth. To achieve this goal they attacked a country which had been crowned more than once with the medal of heroism in breaking tyrants, conquering the haughty and expelling evil transgressors. Their doom was sealed when they chose to attack this country.

To wit, they destroyed themselves! Yes, this great event confused the entire world which did not expect this occurrence, because this country did not have to its credit great discoveries, inventions and technologies. Yet, Allah SwT willed to make the sacrifices of this proud and zealous people the cause for the liberation of dozens of countries occupied by that tyrant. Additionally, it became a cause for removing their occupation of other Muslim lands, especially those countries neighboring Afghanistan. More important than all of this is that America – which has committed the same crime as the Soviets against this proud and zealous people – was itself saved by virtue of the Jihad of the Afghans – from those misfortunes which were expected to befall it – as if Allah SwT desired for those misfortunes to later befall it at the hands of the Afghans themselves and they therefore decided to stand by the side of Afghan Muslims, not because they loved the Afghans and the Muslims or because they wished them well. Rather, they sought after their own self-interest. It was therefore reasonable for the world to thank the Afghans.

Yet, unfortunately, they were ungrateful for the favor with an ingratitude that never occurs to anyone’s mind! After the defeat of the Russians, who left dragging their tails in shame and failure, some of those countries, which Allah had fated to continue to exist by virtue of the Jihad of the Afghans, toyed with the accomplishments of that great people. Indeed, they had a main role in creating problems and afflictions never before witnessed in the history of the country.

Today, the same tragedy is being replayed, but at the hands of another tyrant. Shaytan has enticed this (tyrant) into attacking that people who were the reason he still existed on the face of the earth, forgetting that favor that deserved thanks and a good turn; and not ingratitude and ungraciousness. Indeed, Allah SwT has here ordained the same fate He ordained for the Soviet attack on Afghanistan, which is the salvation of the world and especially the Islamic world from the grip of a tyrannical transgressor.

America wanted, as did its contemporary Soviet Union, to extend its control effectively over the entire world, and re-make it in its own image. Its wealth and its power seduced it into dreaming this dream but achieving this disgraceful dream was completely unreasonable – it is a morass from which it will be happy to escape half alive! Thus, we see today that America has retreated from all its goals - and more - for the sake of which it plunged into the unjust war, the certitude of which was a matter on which no two disagreed! Neither has it been able to take hold of the matter they thought they had a grip on from one day to the next, nor to obtain a guarantee for the security of its people! Rather their terror increases day after day and now it (America) wants to retain its self-respect and nothing more – and this is its great victory, but will it be able to do even that? They are like one who has attacked a person unjustly. When that person grabs them and shakes them, they say to him: “leave me alone and I will leave you alone!”

It is impossible for it now to be seduced by its dream of arrogance, aggrandizement and tyranny, or to spread its influence in the lands of others, or extend its control there. Rather its most pressing concern is to preserve what its forefathers gained!

Because of this the entire world and especially the Islamic world is indebted to the Afghan Jihad. Because of this Jihad, the snake has become preoccupied with itself rather than thinking about swallowing them. When Afghanistan has become a thorn in its throat it cannot advance and cannot return back!

The world has been saved from American aggression and barbarism in all fields: political, economic and security. America had wanted to spread its influence in Eurasia, half of which includes the Islamic countries, then extend their political and economic control over them, and take their affairs firmly in hand. If they were able to do that, then no one on the other continents could stand and face them. But Allah desired other than what America desired. If they had been able – Allah forbid – to realize their initial goals then subsequently it would have been very easy to swallow and digest the Islamic world. This was a turn of events for which it waited impatiently and for which sake it spared no expense. But through the grace of Allah first and then through the sacrifices of that proud and zealous people, it was not able to realize its dream. Rather, the entire Islamic Ummah was saved from those plots which those iniquitous hands wove in the world of fantasy.

Among the most prominent gains made by the Afghan Jihad for the Islamic Ummah which can be indicated here is the protection of the Holy Quran from fire and abuse, four months ago at the hands of a lunatic American: that vile minister who intended to burn a copy of the Glorious Quran in revenge for the events of September 11. Yes, what happened there with that idiotic man was not personal or unique to him, rather it was the voice of many of them and evidence was that they did not refrain from committing that crime out of respect for the sacred things of others or for human dignity! Rather, it was to preserve their bravado and prestige by protecting the lives of their soldiers deployed on the field of battle and to be precise; to avoid receiving the combat strikes of the Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate! Which they were certain to receive if they did not take that crazy man into their foolish hands! The commander in chief of the NATO Alliance, David Petraeus and others warned of the consequences of that action and stated that it would cause calamities for their soldiers present in Afghanistan. The lunatic minister therefore had to reconsider his plan and back down. He in his turn was more concerned with the defeat of his co-religionists and kinsmen, than in venting his anger against Muslims by burning the Noble Quran as if he considered – if the expression is apt – that the cost of this heinous act would outweigh its benefit. Here we must draw attention to certain points:

1. There are no doubt in the Islamic Ummah has many ideological, political and religious parties; and there are undoubtedly in Islamic countries (many) regimes that rule them – and there are more than 50 governments! But neither America or NATO or its commander in chief were troubled and they did not say that (these) regimes and rulers of Islamic countries or their varied and diverse parties and movements would cause problems for America or weaken it if that great crime were committed! For one reason: they had cast Jihad behind their backs!

2. Then why do the Americans fear the Mujahideen? What that commander stated means that those different parties and diverse movements in their great number and those governments armed to the teeth with even nuclear weapons(!) did not and will not be considered to constitute a threat to them! There is therefore no need to warn against them! As if they understood well that the Mujahideen were those who would avenge their sacred things. This is a matter that truly conforms to reality and fact. This is the reason behind infidel attacks launched against Jihad and its people over the course of time in all corners of the earth and in all rounds they struggle, and especially in this modern era. They are convinced that Jihad is the apex of the pinnacle of Islam, as was said by that leader of the Mujahideen, Muhammad ibn Abdullah (SAW). Meaning Islam is protected by Jihad only! The enemy is therefore terrified of Jihad and the Mujahideen, and tries with all the capabilities he possesses to mar the image of Jihad and the Mujahideen one way or another.

3. The commander’s statement that the burning of the Noble Quran would cause problems for his soldiers in Afghanistan only(!) - although Jihad continues through the grace of Allah SwT in other countries as well – indicates that the occupiers have learned through living in the hills and rugged mountains of Afghanistan over the past nine years; the message that the soldiers of the Islamic Emirate are at the forefront of the legacy of Islam, they are its most honorable and worthy men in the modern age. They are therefore careful of them, and try to deceive them with great deceptions and lay traps for them by other methods. Even though the Emirate does not posses the means and weapons of terror and fright, and weapons that would penetrate to the hearts of the enemy, Allah has placed terror in their hearts; terror because the Mujahideen follow in the steps of the Sayyid al-Mursaleen, (SAW) who said, as narrated by Bukhari in his Sahih:

“I had been given five things which were not given to anyone else before me. Allah made me victorious through awe for the distance of one month’s journey...”.

Today the world witnesses with its own eyes the truth of this Hadith as a palpable reality. America with all the armies and technology in its possession is frightened of a small group that cannot be compare with it in terms of means and equipment in any field or situation!

4. The thinking of the occupiers has changed towards the Emirate. They used to assume that officials and leadership of the Emirate took matters simply and naively, and they were merely seekers of religious knowledge, knowing nothing or very little of the politics of the world. It was therefore easy to dupe or play with them! But now, after tasting the bitterness of the war into which they plunged unjustly and aggressively, and after adopting a policy of shock and awe more than once, they understand that those of whom they thought so little are men! These men have stood in their face as an impassable barrier when those who thought they were brave and heroic surrendered. They were singing the praises of our Lord when all tongues were praising America.

In sum, the entire world, but especially the Islamic world and the countries neighboring Afghanistan, must thank Afghanistan for this great and historic accomplishment in helping them strike an enemy which was harming them more than it was harming the Islamic Emirate, and for extending to them aid in establishing an Islamic regime. Because establishing a strong Islamic regime in Afghanistan is to the interest of all. If Afghanistan is the bridge joining the world’s economy to Central Asia, and is indisputably the heart of Asia, then the well-being of the body (depends upon) the well-being of the heart. While the heart is sound, the body enjoys rest and ease. When the heart is fretful and disturbed, then undoubtedly the rest of the parts of the body does not enjoy tranquility and ease.

To conclude, it is worth pointing out that the peoples of the Islamic Ummah played an important role in the past Jihad of the Afghans, and that is still the case today. For this they must undoubtedly be thanked.

Translated From The Islamic Emirate Of Afghanistan: Al-Somood Magazine Issue #56

A man sets himself on fire for US. cruel incidents

 source On a cold night in a quiet town, 71-year-old Jeff Knaebel crept into the ruins of an ancient Buddhist meditation center in northern India, doused himself with a flammable liquid and set himself alight to protest what he called cruelty in the United States and India.

It was a political ending for a political man: an admirer of pacifist freedom fighter Mohandas K. Gandhi and a retired mining engineer who had railed against the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in speeches and blogs.

In 2009, he stood at New Delhi’s memorial to Gandhi and ripped up his U.S. passport, symbolically renouncing his American citizenship. “I am not a citizen of any government. I renounce all of them,” he said in a statement. But later efforts to gain Indian asylum and then citizenship were denied, and he spent his last months wandering northern India, moving frequently to avoid arrest for not having legal documents, friends said.

“Citizenship denial and harassment by police … made him a very desperate person, but he continued to believe in the principles of Gandhi and often said he would never return to the U.S. and would die in India,” his friend and fellow engineer V.K. Desai said.

He remembered Knaebel as an intelligent and honorable man who delighted in nature, gave his money to the poor, and worried increasingly about inviting police action against his friends if he stayed with them on his travels.

On Wednesday afternoon, villagers found Knaebel’s charred remains in an ancient Buddhist chapel in Virat Nagar, a town 90 miles (150 kilometers) north of Jaipur, Rajasthan’s state capital, police said.

No one had heard any screams or seen the flames.

“I am killing myself because of cruel incidents in both the U.S. and in India,” Knaebel wrote in a suicide note that gave no more explanation, police said.

But he had written for years in essays, a self-published book and on his website about his beliefs and despair over the world’s poverty, environmental degradation and corporate-led economic development.

He alluded to his plans for death in a letter addressed to President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in which he called America “the world’s leading merchant of death and destruction.” The letter, dated this month, also said that India had “denied my right to exist” by refusing him citizenship.

“By my death I send my answer to the rulers of the Corporate State who value property and profit more than human life. … They will no longer control me,” said the letter, given by Desai to The Associated Press. Desai said he received the letter a few weeks ago but did not know Knaebel had any immediate plans to die.

The suicide note — attached to a shoulder bag holding Knaebel’s eyeglasses, books on Gandhi and 48,000 rupees (about $1,000) wrapped in paper — asked that police handle his body and that the money be given to poor widows and farmers, according to police superintendent Mohan Singh.

Police identified Knaebel from a “passport” issued on July 23 by the World Government of World Citizens, a utopian organization based in Washington, D.C., Singh said. It listed Knaebel’s address only as San Francisco.

Knaebel said in a 2009 video interview that he began his soul-searching in his 40s in the U.S. after being pushed out of a company he had helped build, going broke in litigation and watching his marriage fall apart.

“I began a very serious spiritual search,” testing various religious traditions, until “I finally found myself in India, looking for the seed core of spirituality,” he said in the interview, conducted while he was living at the foot of the Himalayas and posted on the Internet.

He lived with a woman for several years in Pune, near Mumbai, and then traveled north in 2009, living for a while in the western state of Jharkhand and then in the far-northern state of Himachal Pradesh, where he lived with a Buddhist lama and worked for the Gandhi Ashram in Shimla, Desai said by telephone from Rajkot, Gujarat.

India itself has a long history of people killing themselves, or threatening to, as an act of political protest. Gandhi famously protested by fasting to the point of emaciation. In 1990, a student, Rajiv Goswami, set himself on fire to protest quotas for lower-caste Indians, sparking similar acts by other students. Goswami survived.

Knaebel’s body now lies in a hospital morgue, police said. The U.S. Embassy declined to comment for privacy reasons.