* 2017 Update: For the main BEL page on Islamic extremism see kgov.com/terror.
* Yesterday U.S. Navy Seals Killed Osama bin Laden: Today Bob Enyart talks about the principles of justice that show that killing him was morally justified. And we talk about conservatives who hopelessly try to determine whether various actions are right or wrong by looking to see what the U.S. Constitution might have to say about the matter. Also, we talk about the non-virgins who Osama may have met moments after his death, including Adolph Hitler, Yasser Arafat, and Mohammad himself.
* Global Media's "Obama is Dead" Slips: YouTube took down the video collage of newscasters announcing the Obama was dead. But in print and photos you can see this at LiveJournal and in the Columbia Journalism Review including on Fox News "Geraldo Rivera said on air that, 'Obama is dead, I don’t care … what am I saying?'" and the ABC World News with Diane Sawyer website reported, "Sources Tell ABC News' Jon Karl That Obama Will Be Buried At Sea." And from Sky News: "Reaction: World Leaders Hail Obama's Death" and from the BBC, "Obama Dead." (And so much more.)
In the South China Morning Post, "Obama bin Laden is dead". Dan Amira of the New York Magazine's the Intelligencer reports, "News Anchor Made 'Osama'/'Obama' Gaffe Three Times in Seventeen Seconds" observing that, "Of all the “Osama”/”Obama” flubs on Sunday and Monday, this clip of an anchor on Canada’s Global TV is the most embarrassing by far. It’s not just the frequency of the mistake, but also her complete obliviousness to it. Do news anchors really not listen to themselves talk, at all? And the clip only lasts a few seconds who knows how long this went on? Minutes? Hours? She may have never uttered the word Osama the entire night." And one minor TV example (not removed from YouTube)...
* 10 Years Ago Hundreds of Millions of Muslims Supported Osama bin Laden: See the excerpts below from Daniel Pipes article from a decade ago in the New York Post. And Pipes decade-old evidence is reinforced by today's quote from the head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, who told reporters, "We condemn the assassination and the killing of an Arab holy warrior. We ask God to offer him mercy with the true believers..."
Today’s Resource: Have you seen the DVD that has brought more people to salvation than any other BEL resource in 20 years? It's Mount Moriah: Evidence for the Resurrection! You might want to see this to help strengthen your ability to share the resurrection of Jesus Christ with friends and relatives. And if you are a non-Christian listener to BEL, you are invited to call in and ask for a copy of Mount Moriah and we'll mail it to you free of charge as a gift. For the rest of you, hey, you'll enjoy this DVD and you'll help Bob stay on the air and reach more people by purchasing a copy or two (one for a friend)! And you may also want to watch Bob's DVD Defending the Faith: Apologetics with Dave Spiegel. And monthly, you can enjoy one or two of Bob’s insightful videos, mailed to you automatically, simply by subscribing to the BEL Monthly Topical Videos service! And you can check out the other great BEL subscription services!
What do Muslims think of Osama bin Laden?
By Daniel Pipes, New York Post, Oct. 22, 2001
... Karen Armstrong, author of a bestselling book about Islam, reports that the "vast majority of Muslims . . . are horrified by the atrocity of Sept. 11."
Well, that "vast majority" is well hidden... With the exception of one government-staged anti-bin Laden demonstration in Pakistan and very few prominent Islamic scholars, hardly anyone publicly denounces him. The only Islamic scholar in Egypt who unreservedly condemns the Sept. 11 suicide operations admits he is completely isolated. ...
"It'd be nice if some leaders came out and said that the idea the United States is targeting Islam is absurd," notes one U.S. diplomat. They don't because the Muslim world is bursting with adulation for the Saudi militant.
* "Long live bin Laden" shout 5,000 demonstrators in the southern Philippines.
* In Pakistan, bin Laden's face sells merchandise and massive street rallies have left two persons dead. Ten thousand march in the capitals of Bangladesh and Indonesia.
* In northern Nigeria, bin Laden has (according to Reuters) "achieved iconic status" ...
* Pro-bin Laden demonstrations took place even in Mecca, where overt political activism is unheard of.
Everywhere, The Washington Post reports, Muslims cheer bin Laden on "with almost a single voice." ...
Palestinians are especially enamoured. According to Hussam Khadir, a member of Arafat's Fatah party, "Bin Laden today is the most popular figure in the West Bank and Gaza, second only to Arafat." A 10-year-old girl announces that she loves him like a father. Nor is she alone. "Everybody loves Osama bin Laden at this time. He is the most righteous man in the whole world," declares a Palestinian woman. A Palestinian Authority policeman calls him "the greatest man in the world & our Messiah" ...
A Bir Zeit poll found that 26 percent of Palestinians consider the Sept. 11 attacks consistent with Islamic law. In Pakistan, a Gallup poll found a nearly identical 24 percent reaching this conclusion. Even those who consider the attacks an act of terrorism (64 percent of both Palestinians and Pakistanis) show respect for these as acts of political defiance and technical prowess. "Of course we're upset that so many died in New York. But at the same time, we're in awe of what happened," said a young Cairene woman.
An online survey of Indonesians found 50 percent seeing bin Laden as a "justice fighter" and 35 percent a terrorist. More broadly, I estimate that bin Laden enjoys the emotional support of half the Muslim world. more...
- Daniel Pipes
* 2017 Update from a Montreal Mosque: According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, an Imam with a reputation as an extremist was invited to speak at a Montreal Mosque. In his message at Dar Al-Arkam (aka Dar Al-Arqam) he quoted a traditional Muslim hadith calling for Jews to be killed. The Islamic verse he quoted in Arabic (which the mosque itself then uploaded to YouTube), says in English, "O Muslim, O servant of Allah, O Muslim, O servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him." This generated the second hate-crime complaint to the Toronto police within forty days. Related Question: What does CBC stand for? Answer: Nothing. Absolutely nothing.