Freedom Of Speech In France

Freedom of Speech in France: For the Powerful, By the Powerful, With the Powerful

Let us leave aside what occurs closer to home where allied British and American Troops are repeatedly bombing and killing Al-Jazeera journalists. Let us look past the locking up of Moazzam Begg for exposing British collaboration with the Syrian regime in torture, or even Edward Snowden and Julian Assange‘s ‘freedom of speech’. And yet, it remains very obvious for those informed that freedom of speech does not exist anywhere in the world if it does not suit the ruling paradigm or ideology.

France’s (and the West’s) claim that free expression is a ‘fundamental principle’ is a myth, an opiate of the masses, explicitly invoked for anti-Semitic purposes in the years leading up to the holocaust, and has recently being used to whip up hatred of immigrants, ethnic minorities and Muslims. As everywhere else in the ‘Free World’, in France, free expression is for some but not others:

1. A French court injunction banned a Jesus based clothing advert mimicking Da Vinci’s Last Supper. The display was ruled “a gratuitous and aggressive act of intrusion on people’s innermost beliefs”, by the French judge.[1]

2. In 2005 ‘Aides Haute-Garonne’ organized an informative evening about the prevention of the HIV-AIDS. The prospectus contained a head-and-shoulders image of a woman wearing a nun’s bonnet and two pink condoms. On the grounds that the prospectus insulted a group because of its religion, a court convicted Aides Haute-Garonne.

3. In 1994 Le quotidien de Paris published the article L’obscurité de l’erreur by journalist, sociologist, and historian Paul Giniewski. The article criticises the Pope, and states that Catholic doctrine abetted the conception and the realisation of Auschwitz. A court upheld proceedings on the ground that the article was an insult to a group because of its religion, and convicted the newspaper.

4. ‘Charlie Hebdo Magazine’ itself censored, apologised and then fired longtime cartoonist Sinéfor a caricature insulting the son of former president Nicholas Sarkozy and his wife Jessica Sebaoun-Darty, while staunchly standing on their ‘right’ to repeatedly troll Muslims, minorities and immigrants e.g. by showing Muḥammad (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) naked and bending over – which tells you something about the brand of satire they practice and that they would rather be aiming downward than upward.[2]

5. Dieudonné M’Bala a French comedian and satirist – was convicted and fined in France for describing Holocaust remembrance as “memorial pornography”.[3] 

6. The ‘Quennele’ hand sign has been described as anti-establishment and anti-zionist by French youth and famous football players (e.g. Anelka). It stoked serious controversy in France since first being used by anti-establishment comedian Dieudonné M’Bala M’Bala in 2005.  M’Bala has been barred from many theatres and convicted many times for his ‘freedom of speech.'[4]

7. As part of “internal security” enactments passed in 2003, it is an offense to insult the national flag or anthem, with a penalty of a maximum 9,000 euro or up to six months’ imprisonment. Restrictions on “offending the dignity of the republic”, on the other hand, include “insulting”anyone who serves the public.

8. French Rap Star Facing Prison for Insulting the French State, insulting Napoleon andCharles de Gaulle.[5] It is illegal to insult the French state and it seems historical characters like Napoleon and Charles De Gaulle are sacred. But Muḥammad (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), the leading light and ideal of divine justice for 1.5 billion people is open to criticism?

9. Nicolas Sarkozy, then-Interior Minister and former President of the Republic until 2012, ordered the firing of the director of Paris Match — because he had published photos of Cécilia Sarkozy (his wife)with another man in New York.

10. In 2006, rapper ‘Joestarr’ had his rap song against President Sarkozy censored.[6]

11. The following films have been censored in France for provoking violence:

L’Essayeuse (1976) Romance (1999) Le Mur (2011)

12. Under France’s “Public Health Code” passed on the 31 December 1970, “positive presentation of drugs” and the “incitement to their consumption” stipulates five years in prison and fines of up to €76,000. Newspapers such as Libération, Charlie Hebdo and associations, political parties, and various publications criticising the current drug laws and advocating drug reform in France have been repeatedly hit with heavy fines based on this law.[7]

13. Muslim women are barred from education (No, not just by the Taliban) in France, if they practise their religion by wearing a headscarf, despite French schools having no policy on uniforms, neither are crosses on necklaces allowed.

14. “France’s law against “religious symbols in public spaces” is specifically enforced to target Muslim women who choose to wear hijab—ironic considering we are now touting Charlie Hebdo as a symbol of France’s staunch commitment to civil liberties.”[8]

15. It is illegal in France to take the opinion of the Turkish side on the then civil war involving Armenians. It is illegal to deny that the killing of Armenians by Turkish troops was a deliberate genocide.

16. In 2007, a tribunal in Lyon sentenced Bruno Gollnisch and fined him €5,000 for the offense of contesting some of the information about the Holocaust and ordered him to pay €55,000 euros in damages to the plaintiffs and to pay for the judgment to be published in the newspapers that originally printed his remarks.

British Freedom of Speech Evangelicals seem to be silent when it comes to the freedom of speech of Muslims: 

“So for example, when a Muslim decided to burn a poppy on the streets of London – an act which physically harmed nobody – they demanded the individual responsible be prosecuted (he was) and remained noticeably silent about the death threats directed towards him as a result of his exercising his right to free speech and expression. Similarly when a group of Muslims held a peaceful – if vocal – protest against British military returnees from Afghanistan it seems that suddenly the “right to offend” was no longer sacrosanct.”[9]

Just to be clear about what the Charlie Hebdo magazine was about, I would like to quote some left-wing, liberal, socialist, atheist folks, because I am sure if an Islamist said the below he would end up on a list somewhere under the British Stasi ‘PREVENT’ spying and thought police programme:

“Charlie Hebdo has facilitated the growth of a form of politicized anti-Muslim sentiment that bears a disturbing resemblance to the politicized anti-Semitism that emerged as a mass movement in France in the 1890s.

In its use of crude and vulgar caricatures that purvey a sinister and stereotyped image of Muslims, Charlie Hebdo recalls the cheap racist publications that played a significant role in fostering the anti-Semitic agitation that swept France during the famous Dreyfus Affair, which erupted in 1894 after a Jewish officer was accused and falsely convicted of espionage on behalf of Germany. In whipping up popular hatred of Jews, La Libre Parole [“Free Speech”], published by the infamous Edoard Adolfe Drumont, made highly effective use of cartoons that employed the familiar anti-Semitic devices. The caricatures served to inflame public opinion, inciting mobs against Dreyfus and his defenders, such as Emile Zola, the great novelist and author of J’Accuse.”[10]

Lastly on the role of satire, it needs to be responsible:

“The whole reason the concept of responsible satire has been summed up as “punch up, don’t punch down” is to acknowledge that not all your targets of satire start out on an equal footing. Francois Hollande is not on the same level as girls who have been kidnapped into sexual slavery, and having the same “no-holds-barred” attitude toward them both is not the same as treating them fairly. {Charlie Hebdo had a front page cartoon about Nigerian Muslim schoolgirls kidnapped, raped and impregnated by terrorists depicted as ‘benefits scroungers pregnant with more benefits scroungers’ – feeding into that now popular stereotype about black immigrants sucking the ‘white’ state’s finances dry.

The situation of the Muslims in France right now is rather dismal. The scars of the riots nine years ago are still fresh for many people, Muslims make up 60 to 70 percent of the prison population despite being less than 20 percent of the population overall, and France’s law against “religious symbols in public spaces” is specifically enforced to target Muslim women whochoose to wear hijab—ironic considering we are now touting Charlie Hebdo as a symbol of France’s staunch commitment to civil liberties.”[11]

5 Times France Really Cared About #FreedomOfSpeech



Notes:

[1] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4337031.stm

[2] http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/01/09/trolls-and-martyrdom-je-ne-suis-pas-charlie.html

[3] http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/nicolas-anelka-anti-semitic-gesture-quenelle-2966787

[4] www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/nicolas-anelka-anti-semitic-gesture-quenelle-2966787

[5] http://www.nme.com/news/Monsieur-R/23193

[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_in_France#List_of_censored_songs

[7] http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichCodeArticle.do?idArticle=LEGIARTI000006688178&cidTexte=LEGITEXT000006072665

[8] http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/01/09/trolls-and-martyrdom-je-ne-suis-pas-charlie.html

[9] https://maskedavenger1.wordpress.com/2015/01/09/le-mort-de-charlie-hebdo-quel-dommage/

[10] http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2015/01/09/pers-j09.html

[11] http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/01/09/trolls-and-martyrdom-je-ne-suis-pas-charlie.html

Source: Islam21c

Double Standards Galore (1)

I'm not minimizing the deaths of the Charlie Hebdo staff, but it would sure be nice to see this much attention, concern, the seriousness to protect lives and bring the murderers to justice for the millions who were executed by certain Western governments constant military invasions and "humanitarian interventions," not just in the Muslim World, but around the globe.

Jihadis Are Like Jews Who Left For Palestine

The Theme Of The Broadcast Was About Possibly Confiscating The Passports Of Jihadists.

In the interview, Broertjes, a politician for Dutch Labor and former editor-in-chief of the highbrow Volkskrant daily, was asked whether he thought Jihadists who are leaving to fight in Syria and Iraq should be prevented from departing.

He opposed such steps, and added: 

“Dutchmen after World War II went to Israel to fight the English. We didn’t prevent them then.”

Moral Obscenity: Toxic Background To US Chemical 'Highground'

Courtesy Of: Russia Today

WARNING! Some images in this report could be disturbing for some users.

While the British Parliament stands divided over whether to strike at Syria, 

Washington claims there's a moral reason to attack. But the use of chemical weapons was of no concern in the wars that the US waged in the past.

When A White Person Does It, It's Not Terrorism

(Photo Credit: Jeanne Noonan / New York Daily News)

The Not-So-Complex World of Michael Bloomberg

By Nima Shirazi

Last week, a threatening letter laced with the deadly chemical ricin was sent fromShreveport, Louisiana to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as a response to the mayor's outspoken support for stricter gun control laws.  Two identicalletters, also containing the lethal substance, were addressed to both President Barack Obama and the head of the Washington D.C. lobbying group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which is managed and funded by Bloomberg himself.

The contents of the letters are clearly the work of a right-wing gun nut and read as follows:

"You will have to kill me and my family before you get my guns. Anyone wants to come to my house will get shot in the face. The right to bear arms is my constitutional, god-given right and I will exercise that right till the day I die. What's in this letter is nothing compared to what I've got planned for you."

Despite lethally targeting civilians and non-military officials far from any active battlefield, no one is referring to these acts as terrorism.  Not the press, not the intended victims.  No one.

In fact, Bloomberg himself was nonplussed by the whole ordeal, telling reporters on Thursday May 30, "I'm not angry. There are people who I would argue do things that may be irrational, do things that are wrong, but it's a very complex world out there and we just have to deal with that."

Yes, Mike, it is a very complex world. 

This world is so complex, in fact, that an easily identifiable act of terrorism isn't considered terrorism for one simple reason: it probably wasn't committed by a Muslim, but rather by some white guy in the South.

Clearly, while white guys who send murderous mail are merely acting irrationally and doing something wrong, potential violence by members of the Muslim faith present a singular threat to our civilized society. So much so, in fact, that Michael Bloomberg himself believes our own laws and the bedrock of that very society are not good enough to defend against such a scourge to humanity.

Last month, following the horrific Boston Marathon bombing, Bloomberg declared that the American obsession with privacy, civil rights and basic freedoms were antiquated and trite when compared to the dire threat posed by hypothetical barbarian hordes of 'Islamists.'

At a press conference at the Lower Manhattan Security Initiative, Bloomberg said, "The people who are worried about privacy have a legitimate worry. But we live in a complex world where you're going to have to have a level of security greater than you did back in the olden days, if you will. And our laws and our interpretation of the Constitution, I think, have to change."

Yes, how complex it is.

So complex that, although a 2010 study by Duke University and the University of North Carolina found that Islamic terrorism accounted for only six percent of all terrorist attacks in the United States between 1980 and 2005 while a 2012 analysisby the Center for American Progress reported that a whopping "[f]ifty-six percent of domestic terrorist attacks and plots in the U.S. since 1995 have been perpetrated by right-wing extremists," Michael Bloomberg has made it his duty to illegally spy on and harass Muslim communities in the New York Metro area.

Bloomberg has presided over a massive, illegal covert domestic surveillance and ethno-religious profiling program that have targeted, alienated and traumatized Muslims throughout the Northeast, despite the fact that, following the September 11, 2001 attacks, more Americans have been killed in right-wing terrorist plots than by Islamic terrorists.

"NYPD surveillance has impacted every facet of American Muslim life," explainsNermeen Arastu, a volunteer attorney with the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), which co-authored a March 2013 report entitled, "Mapping Muslims: NYPD Spying and Its Impact on American Muslims."

"The program has stifled speech, communal life and religious practice and criminalized a broad segment of American Muslims," Arastu added, "The isolationism that comes with being a 'spied on' community means that American Muslims are getting a fundamentally inferior opportunity to exercise their constitutional rights."

But, for Mayor Mike, just because a white guy tries to kill you via the postal service doesn't mean white people in general deserve to be spied on, rounded up, marginalized, and profiled.  Keep calm and carry on, he says.  These things happen.

This morning, on Chris Jansing's MSNBC show, USA Today Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page said it was "probably not fair to taint the entire gun rights movement with the actions of this disturbing letter because there is a serious debate and two sides to it when it comes to the issue of guns."  Jansing agreed. "Yeah, and it's unfortunate that, for a few, it comes to this," she said.

Not fair.  Unfortunate.

Last year, Bloomberg defended his Muslim surveillance program, claiming, "Everything the NYPD has done is legal, it is appropriate, it is constitutional," and invoking that sacred strawman, 9/11. "We have not forgotten the lesson of that terrible day on 9/11," he insisted, sanctimoniously adding, "We have to keep this country safe...Remind yourself when you turn out the light tonight."

Bloomberg's insistence that, "We don't target individuals based on race or religion. We follow leads," is fascinating because, just six months after he said this, theAssociated Press' report on court testimony by the NYPD stated, "In more than six years of spying on Muslim neighborhoods, eavesdropping on conversations and cataloguing mosques, the New York Police Department's secret Demographics Unit never generated a lead or triggered a terrorism investigation."

But Bloomberg's targeting of Muslims isn't his only method of rooting out the evil that lurks in the hearts of brown men.

A month ago, the billionaire mayor defended his racist Stop-and-Frisk policy by invoking - what else? - the ever-looming conversation-ender: the constant scourge and fear of terrorism. "Look at what's happened in Boston," he said. "Remember what happened here on 9/11. Remember all of those who've been killed by gun violence and the families they left behind."

Again he even claimed that our own laws and efforts not to discriminate against certain communities are making us less safe. "God forbid terrorists succeed in striking our city because of a politically driven law that undermines the N.Y.P.D.’s intelligence gathering efforts," he said.

The editors of the New York Times were unmoved by Bloomberg's fear-mongering defense of racial profiling.  "Mayor Michael Bloomberg trotted out shopworn, discredited arguments this week," they wrote, "while defending the constitutionally suspect police program under which hundreds of thousands of innocent New Yorkers have been detained and questioned on the streets every year."

They note, "[G]uns were seized in only 0.15 percent of all stops. In addition, only 5.4 percent of all stops resulted in an arrest, and about 6 percent led to a summons. This means that in nearly 90 percent of cases, the citizens who were stopped were doing nothing illegal. In some cases, prosecutors declined to automatically prosecute arrests made in connection with the program because they knew that the stops were illegal."

In 2011, 84 percent of all those stopped under the NYPD's Stop-and-Frisk rampage where black and Hispanic, despite respectively representing 23 and 29 percent of New York City’s total population.

Under Michael Bloomberg's reign, minority communities have been collectively punished for the criminal actions of a few.  In his complex world, blacks and Latinos are all potential gun-toting killers, while all Muslims are jihadists-in-training.  Yet, an actual gun-toting lunatic who actually tries to murder Bloomberg is an anomaly, an aberration, nothing to be concerned with. Simply something "we just have to deal with."

But terrorism?  No, never.  Not if the perpetrator is white.

Glenn Greenwald, a former constitutional lawyer and currently a columnist for The Guardian, has been addressing this double standard for years.  "Terrorism," hewrites, "is simultaneously the single most meaningless and most manipulated word in the American political lexicon. The term now has virtually nothing to do with the act itself and everything to do with the identity of the actor, especially his or her religious identity. It has really come to mean: 'a Muslim who fights against or even expresses hostility towards the United States, Israel and their allies.'"

So while the NYPD continues to terrorize minority communities and the FBI continues to foil phony Muslim terror plots that it itself devises, plans and funds, rest assured that all the well-armed and well-represented white folks in our noble nation will continue to live free from suspicion, scrutiny, and surveillance no matter how much postal poison they send and mass shootings they carry out.

Maybe it's not complex after all, maybe it's just complexion. 

DoubleSpeak

Attack / Retaliation - When our allies suffer a loss of life/property at the hands of an enemy, it is called a cold-blooded attack. When our enemies suffer a loss of life/property at the hands of an ally, it is called retaliation.

And when that enemy retaliates for the attack it just suffered, it is again referred to as a cold-blooded attack -- never as retaliation. No matter how often this cycle continues, our side is always said to be retaliating to the other side's attack.

This effect is most apparent in the Israeli / Palestinian war. The Palestinians will launch a surprise attack, and Israel will retaliate. The Palestinians will launch another surprise attack, and Israel will retaliate again. The Palestinians launch yet another surprise attack, and Israel... well, you get the idea.

When the events are explained in this manner, one might get the impression that Israel is the victim of Palestinian aggression -- That Israelis desire nothing but peace and Palestinians desire nothing but war. Of course, it is impossible to say for sure 'who started it'. After all, this land had been changing hands continuously for the last 2500 years. However -- As far as I can tell, this latest conflict began back in the 1940's when Anglo-American and Jewish terrorist forces (Irgon and Stern) forced the Palestinians off their land in order to pave the way for the creation of a Jewish state.

Of course Israel wants peace now -- They are the ones with the land! Demanding peace after forcibly taking another person's land is like winning a large sum of money on the first hand of poker and then refusing to play another game. The Palestinians want their land back -- and Israel is trying to claim the moral high ground by denying them a chance to win it back.
Campaign Contribution / Bribe - Is there any difference at all? In theory, a bribe is a guarantee that a political payoff will result on a specified action being taken by a politician. But a campaign contribution is not supposed to contain such a quid pro quo But why else would an organization give $500,000 to a political candidate, if the didn't expect something in return?

Civilian Casualties / Collateral Damage - Other countries kill their own citizens... America only damages them.

Charity / Redistribution Of Wealth - When you offer food to people that are hungry, you are giving charity. When a government takes money from you in order to give it to people that aren't a whole hell of a lot poorer than you, it is called redistribution of wealth.
Educated / Brainwashed - US children are "Educated" about the evils of drugs, pollution, and race relations ... Soviet children were "Brainwashed" in Soviet doctrine.

Ethnic Cleansing / Population Transfer - The US forced thousands of Germans out of their homes after WWII. (The land was given to Poland for "war reparations") At the time, we called this "Population Transfer".

Freedom Fighters / Terrorists - Freedom Fighters attack other governments to obtain "freedom". Terrorists attack the U.S. and our allies, in order to gain their freedom.

Invasion / Military Police Action / Peacekeeping - All of these words can be used to describe when one country puts troops in another land. The choice of which word to use depends entirely on which country is performing this action. When the USSR entered Afghanistan to support the existing government, it was called an invasion. When the US put troops in Vietnam, it was considered a "police action". The presence of U.N. troops in Bosnia is called "Peacekeeping".

Law and Order / Oppression - Every law has at its core a desire to force a person to behave a certain way, and is a form a oppression. The only factor that determines whether a law is "oppressive' is whether or not you agree with it -- and whether or not you believe that the law will effect you!
Revolution / Civil War - When the colonies revolted against oppression from Britain, it was called a "revolution". When the south revolted against the oppression of Washington DC, it was called a civil war. I guess it all depends on who wins the war. If the government wins, it is a civil war. If the citizens win, it is a revolution.

Shell Shock / Combat Fatigue / Operational Exhaustion / Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - The comedian George Carlin once pointed out how the way we describe this condition has changed over the years. He pointed out how the wording has changed to completely remove any connection with the horrors of war from the name of the condition, even though it is the horrors of war which is the direct cause of the condition.
Slave/Serf/Indentured Servant/Debtor

A slave labors for his owner, and in return is given food, shelter, and the occasional lashing. He is the property of his master, and may be sold at any time.

In the by-gone days of Europe, a surf was required to give 20% of his produce to his lord - in exchange he had enough food to eat, and was allowed to live on the land. Actually, a serf is considered part of land - If the property is sold, he is sold with it. This is an improvement over slavery in that families cannot be broken up at the whim of the master - plus the peasant is allowed to accumulate some possessions.

An Indentured servant was required to work for his "master" for a term of years. This servitude was generally "repayment" for some sort of loan or grant. Many colonists became indentured servants to pay for their passage to the new world.

Today's society is far more advanced. People are no longer considered to be anybody else's property. They my own their own property. None-the-less, a worker must still pay 38% of what they earn to the state. To make matters worse, most are heavily in debt to banks and other lending institutions. In a sense, they have allowed themselves to become "indentured servants" by agreeing to loans with 15%-20% usury charges. They are forced to hand over a large percentage of their income to their new masters. (Did you really think the bank was doing you a favor by giving you a credit card?)

Spend / Invest - Politicians aren't spending taxpayer money - they're investing it. Normally, when one says that he is investing money, we assume that that person is intending to profit monetarily from that investment. The definition according to the American Heritage® Dictionaryis:

in•vest - To commit (money or capital) in order to gain a financial return: (invested their savings in stocks and bonds.)

If we adhere to this definition, the act of squandering taxpayer money on pet projects cannot be considered investing -- That is, unless the politician is expecting to profit from it personally. But of course, this is sometimes the case. Like when politicians spend money in order to please their campaign contributors, who in turn give the politicians even more money come election time.

Trickle-Down Economics / Supply Side Economics - The belief that companies create jobs. It is the belief that if America produces more, we will have more stuff... go figure.

Visionary / Unrealistic - All Visionaries have been called unrealistic at one time or another.

IAEA Reform Is Long Overdue

By Yousaf Butt

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was designed as an apolitical technical agency that - among other things - takes regular accounting of member states' nuclear material to make sure none is diverted to weapons uses.

However, the agency has been veering from its impartial technical mandate and is selectively pursuing certain member states based on intelligence from other states. [1] For instance, the Associated Press reported that about 80% of the evidence it has against Iran comes from its arch-adversary, the United States.

The IAEA urgently needs to return to being a technical and impartial inspection shop, and not be seen as being politically biased or an extension of Western intelligence. [2] Reforming its funding stream is an overdue first step to restore confidence in the agency's impartiality and removing any potential conflicts of interest.

As long as most of the IAEA's funding comes from the US and its allies, the agency is likely to have biases and be susceptible to politicization and conflicts of interest. [3] All told, about 65% of the IAEA budget is from the US and its allies, which makes the directorate especially beholden to political pressure from Washington.

This politicization of the IAEA is evident in how it has handled Iran's case. [4] In 2005, Iran was deemed in non-compliance with its IAEA nuclear safeguards agreement. Even though non-compliance findings themselves are notoriously subjective and selectively enforced, Tehran had by 2008 already explained or corrected every substantiated and lawful concern, as confirmed by the IAEA.

Despite this, the IAEA then raised other ad hoc possible military dimensions concerns based on foreign intelligence, but which are largely outside the legal authority of the agency to pursue because they do not clearly involve the diversion of nuclear materials to nuclear weapons uses. [5]

These remaining unresolved issues include some unsubstantiated allegations from third-party intelligence agencies with their own axes to grind with Iran, and are mostly related to rather flimsy allegations of possible work done in Iran more than 10 years ago. [6]

From a technical perspective, the allegations make little or no sense. Dr Jim Walsh, a research associate at MIT, has an excellent suggestion about what to do with Iran's "possible military dimensions" file (as paraphrased by Mark Hibbs): "If the nuclear activities were in the past, I don't care. It's dead, and it's regretful, but let's do a deal with Iran that moves forward."

For its part, Iran has maintained that these allegations are baseless [7] and that the data have been fabricated. An internal IAEA document obtained by the author, excerpted below, shows that the IAEA is exceeding its legal authority in probing Iran about things the agency has no business - or even capability - to investigate.

Some leaked evidence has not even stood up to scientific scrutiny. This does not bode well for the quality of the rest of the secret allegations against Iran that the IAEA says it possesses. Indeed, it's possible that the agency is again in possession of fabricated evidence. [8]

The safeguards agreement between Iran and the IAEA spells out how to settle any dispute that doesn't involve such diversion: through arbitration. So if the IAEA wants to pursue Iran over these extra-judicial allegations and subjective "concerns" it has the option of kicking off arbitration.

Both the original - and the continued - referral of Iran's nuclear dossier to the UN Security Council is inconsistent with international law. If the IAEA does not avail itself of the arbitration option it must now withdraw the Iran nuclear file from the UN Security Council, which has also mishandled the issue. [9]

According to an internal IAEA document obtained by the author, the agency's current allegations and concerns are as follows:

Topic I
Parchin
Foreign Expert
Detonator development
High explosive initiation
Hydrodynamic experiments

Topic 2
Nuclear material acquisition activities

Topic 3
Neutron initiation
Modelling [sic] and calculations

Topic 4
Testing, missile integration
Arming, fusing and firing

However ominous-sounding, none of these topics - whether they come from the IAEA's own investigations or from adversarial intelligence agencies with their own national security agendas - relate to the diversion of nuclear material to weapons uses, and are thus outside the legal authority of the IAEA to pursue. [10] The IAEA itself admits that "absent some nexus to nuclear material the agency's legal authority to pursue the verification of possible nuclear weapons related activity is limited."

Topic 4 on missiles, in particular, has nothing to do with the IAEA at all: even if the IAEA obtained information from Iran on its missiles it does not have the expertise and knowledge to evaluate it. In fact, even on nuclear weapons issues there are probably two people at the IAEA with the necessary expertise according to Robert Kelley, [11] a veteran US weapons engineer and former IAEA inspections director. The IAEA was never designed - and is neither staffed nor equipped - to be a nuclear weapons inspections agency.

Because UN weapons inspectors have, in the past, been entangled with Western intelligence agencies it is understandable that Iran may not wish to volunteer the kind of information the IAEA is now requesting. David Kay, the chief UN nuclear weapons inspector in charge of monitoring Saddam Hussein's nuclear program in 1991, told PBS that foreign spy agencies were linked to the mission in Iraq. [12] "The intelligence communities of the world had the only expertise that you could use if you were unmasking a clandestine program," he said. "I realize it was always a bargain with the Devil - spies spying."

Daniel Joyner, a noted NPT authority, notes that, "the IAEA simply has no legal mandate to… report on activities being carried on within an IAEA member state concerning items and technologies that may be related to the development of a nuclear explosive device, but that are not directly related to fissionable materials or associated facilities."

As for the accountancy of nuclear material in Iran, according to the latest (May 2013) IAEA report, [13] the agency "continues to verify the non-diversion of declared nuclear material at the nuclear facilities and LOFs [locations outside facilities] declared by Iran under its Safeguards Agreement." - as it has done every year since IAEA safeguards have been in place in Iran. Six former ambassadors to Iran confirm that Iran is not in breach of international law, and that the West's strategy has backfired and contributed to the concocted crisis. [14]

Dr Hans Blix, the former director of the IAEA has also weighed in on the issue: "So far Iran has not violated NPT and there is no evidence right now that suggests that Iran is producing nuclear weapons. The fact that Tehran has enriched uranium up to 20% leads to suspicion of a secret weapons program, however, no action can be justified on mere suspicions or intentions that may not exist."

If a stronger "NPT 2.0" treaty with a more powerful IAEA inspection arm is desired this could be hammered out in the future, but the current treaty - and the independent bilateral Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements - reflects the compromises made to gain wide adherence of those agreements. [15]

Secret evidence from third-party intelligence agencies, [16] especially if they are from non-NPT states, should not be allowed to gin-up the IAEA on extrajudicial missions against Iran, or any other NPT signatory states. But the IAEA's conduct reflects the fact that the IAEA's funding comes mostly from the US and its allies. [17] As the ancient maxim states: "Follow the money". One way to fix this problem would be for the IAEA to receive funding via a "blind" UN fund with no knowledge of the precise fraction provided by each state.

The ad hoc and unprofessional handling of the Iran dossier by the IAEA now threatens the integrity of the non-proliferation regime. Absent serious reform at the IAEA, it appears that Samuel Huntington's prediction about the future of arms control draws closer every day:

"In the post-Cold War world the primary objective of arms control is to prevent the development by non-Western societies of military capabilities that could threaten Western interests ... The West promotes nonproliferation as a universal norm and nonproliferation treaties and inspections as means of realizing that norm ...The attention of the West focuses, naturally on nations that are actually or potentially hostile to the West."

Notes:
1. Soltaniey's advice for western few, objection against Amano remarks, Trend, June 6, 2013.
2. Intel Inside, foreignpolicy.com, December 10, 2012 (subscription only). 
3. See here.
4. ‘Reset’ on Iran now, Reuters, May 16, 2013.
5. The IAEA Applies Incorrect Standards, Exceeding its Legal Mandate and Acting Ultra Vires Regarding Iran, Arms Control Law, September 13, 2012. 
6. UN nuke agency's Iran probe driven by US-led intel, Associated Press, May 24, 2013.
7. US intelligence on Iran does not stand up, say Vienna sources, The Guardian, February 23, 2007.
8. Nuclear Arms Charge Against Iran Is No Slam Dunk: Robert Kelley, Bloomberg, January 11, 2012. 
9. The Security Council as a Legal Hegemon, Social Science Research Network, 2012.
10. Daniel Joyner: Iran's Nuclear Program and the Legal Mandate of the IAEA, Jurist.com forum. 11. Iran's Nuclear Standoff, BBC, June 2, 2013.
12. See here.
13. See here.
14. Iran is not in breach of international law, The Guardian, June 11, 2011.
15. See note 1.
16. See note 2.
17. Scale of Assessment of Members' Contributions Towards the Regular Budget for 2013, IAEA General Conference, September 14, 2012. 

Yousaf Butt, a nuclear physicist, is research professor and scientist-in-residence at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. 

(Copyright 2013 Yousaf Butt) 

British Extremism Task Force Targets Only Muslim's

By Sheila Musaji

It is clear, based on facts, not supposition, that most acts of violence and terrorism ARE NOT committed by Muslims. [1]  And, yet, in the U.S., programs like the NYPD surveillance/spying program target only possible Muslim extremists, [2] and the only government hearings have discussed only possible Muslim extremists and radicals [3]

In the past few weeks, there were two brutal knife/machete murders in Britain (one of Mohammed Saleem and one of Lee Rigby) [4] and these (as has happened innumerable times in the past in both the U.S. and Britain) were treated with the same sort of double standard - one was called terrorism, and the other simply murder.  

It seems that the only agreed upon definition of terrorism (on both sides of “the pond”) is a violent act carried out by a Muslim perpetrator. [5]  Immediately after the murder of Lee Rigby, Muslim groups condemned the act unequivocally. 

The title of this article caught my eye UK sets up task force to target extremism  Sounds good on the surface, and as a Muslim, I would welcome having not only accepted definitions of terms like terrorism, extremism, etc., but also an effective means of countering and marginalizing all extremist hate mongers.  

I decided I needed to look further to see what else was being reported about this “new anti-terrorism task force” as perhaps this article didn’t give all of the information.  Perhaps, this task force was going to crack down on all extremism.  Here is what I found:

David Cameron launches anti-terror task force to tackle extremism:

David Cameron is launching a new terror task force to crack down on extremism in the wake of the horrific murder of Drummer Lee Rigby, Downing Street has confirmed.

The cabinet-level group, which will also bring in intelligence and police chiefs when needed, will focus on radical preachers who target potential recruits in jails, schools, colleges and mosques.  ...  It will be known as the tackling extremism and radicalisation task force (Terfor), according to the Mail on Sunday.  ...  The government wants work carried out to ensure religious leaders are not promoting extremist messages and wants mosque committees to be held to account for their choice of imams. ...

We should not sacrifice civil liberties in a panic

In the wake of a terrorist murder, the pressure is on politicians to promise some new law that will prevent such an outrage from recurring. Following the sickening murder of Lee Rigby in the streets of Woolwich, the Prime Minister David Cameron has been quick to announce the formation of a new task force on extremism and terrorism – TERFOR – charged mainly with monitoring radical clerics.

All to the good. For too long certain so-called hate preachers have been allowed to peddle a vile mishmash of anti-Western, anti-semitic, extreme homophobic and misogynist ideas among often unsuspecting congregations, even on university campuses, under the guise of religious instruction. The more closely monitored these men are the better.

...  It may be unfashionable to say so, but Britain is already countering the threat of violent jihadists with some success. For that reason alone, we should continue to question calls to further extend police powers.

We must have the courage to confront the preachers of hate

...  Now is the time for politicians from all parties and for civil servants to show courage when it comes to dealing with the preachers of hate. Britain is a tolerant and diverse society, and free expression is part of being a democracy. In general, people should feel free to speak their minds and stand up for their beliefs. However, speech and literature that incite violence and impinge upon the rights of others cannot be tolerated. Radical preachers must not be given a public platform to call for death to gay people, soldiers, “infidels” or any other group that their warped ideology leads them to condemn.  ...  It is time we applied the same standard to Islamist groups that promote violence that we would apply to any other lunatic fringe.The authorities need to be bold enough to call religious extremism by its proper name and, as Mr Pickles writes, police and the judiciary must act to deny a platform to those who would spread chaos and bloodshed in our society. That is exactly what ordinary, law-abiding Muslims would want our government to do. They share the outrage and disgust at the dissemination of a false gospel of violent nihilism. They, too, want to see action. ...

‘I will gag the hate clerics’: Cameron to launch new terror task force to bring an end to religious extremism”

David Cameron is planning new powers to muzzle Islamic hate preachers accused of provoking terrorist outrages such as the killing of soldier Lee Rigby. The Prime Minister wants to stop extremist clerics using schools, colleges, prisons and mosques to spread their ‘poison’ and is to head a new Tackling Extremism and Radicalisation Task Force (TERFOR) made up of senior Ministers, MI5, police and moderate religious leaders.

The high-powered group will study a number of measures, including banning extremist clerics from being given public platforms to incite students, prisoners and other followers – and forcing mosque leaders to answer for ‘hate preachers’. ...

It seems clear from everything published to date that this is not a task force to consider how to combat extremism and terrorism, no matter what the source, but another witch hunt aimed only at Muslim criminals.  It also seems clear that the only religious extremism that this task force is concerned with is Muslim religious extremism.  See RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM & FUNDAMENTALISM - RELIGIOUS RIGHT (TAM article collection) for information on other religious extremists.

Since all of this is very new, I could find very little discussion by Muslims about this new task force.  I did find this:  Muslim groups urge consultation over government plans to combat extremism, but the only Muslim quoted was the MCB:

Leading British Islamic groups have urged the government to consult Muslims over plans for combating extremism, warning that knee-jerk policies risk exacerbating the problem and damaging social cohesion.

The home secretary, Theresa May, has proposed a series of measures to address the radicalisation of Muslims, including new controls on the internet and the banning of groups preaching hate.

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) – which described the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich last week as “a horrific instance of extremism” – said that while a new and effective strategy was needed, it must not be rushed through at the expense of British Muslims or society at large.

“We hope wisdom prevails as we reflect on the response of these past few days and the missed opportunities of previous years,” it said in a statement on Sunday. “We must be vigilant and ensure we do not inadvertently give into the demands of all extremists: making our society less free, divided and suspicious of each other. Lessons from the past indicate that policies and measures taken in haste can exacerbate extremism.”

...  Calling for leadership in combating “the challenge of civic apathy” and increase political engagement, the MCB also reminded the government of its duty to fight the rightwing extremists.

“In the past 48 hours we have witnessed an upsurge in anti-Muslim hatred with targeted attacks on mosques and the Muslim individuals, not to mention the torrent of hateful abuse on social media,” it said. “Attitudes against Muslims have hardened. Any task force must examine extremism from all quarters.”

Actually, the MCB is being very politically correct and circumspect and using very diplomatic language.  If these reports are accurate and the programs will only target Muslim extremists, then the only words I can use to describe this are: — inconsistent, hypocritical, double-standards, bigoted, Islamophobic, propaganda, selective, collective blame, irresponsible, useless, biased, and doomed to fail on every level.

Saying on the one hand that there is a need to work with the Muslim community, and on the other hand that only Muslim extremists pose a danger to society (in spite of clear evidence to the contrary) is WRONG!  This will only create more frustration and anger.  It will not resolve any problems.  This task force as explained so far can only be called the beginning of an Islamophobic witch hunt in Britain.

I am certain that in Britain and the U.S. and Canada, all mainstream Muslim groups would like to work together with law enforcement to solve not only the problem of sidelining Muslim extremists, but Christian, Jewish, (and extremists of any or no religion) and political extremists of all sorts.  To maintain that support their needs to be consistency and fairness in applying and enforcing the same standards for everyone.  There are certainly anti-Muslim hate crimes, and even murders of Muslims [6], and anti-Muslim preachers of hate like the EDL & BNP - should they also not be under scrutiny? 

If there are going to be new limitations on free speech, then those limitations need to be made clear and need to apply to everyone equally. The same is true for limitations on civil rights and religious freedoms. 

Reports are coming in of violence directed at British mosques and individual British Muslims who have no connection with the perpetrators.  The Zainabia Islamic Centre in Granby was attacked with a molotov cocktail.  In Gillingham, Kent, a man ran into the local mosque and started smashing windows and bookcases. Meanwhile in Braintree, Essex, it is alleged that a man attacked the Islamic place of worship with a knife and explosive device.  Both the attackers have now been arrested by police.  A mosque in Morden is under police guard after threats of arson.  The English Defense League (EDL) has rioted.  Many anti-Muslim incidents have been reported to a local hotline.  Even Muslim businesseshave been attacked.   In fact, at least 150 anti-Muslim incidents have been reported in the last few days.  Not surprisingly, some media has responded to this criminal act by scapegoating Islam and promoting Islamophobia.  This also does no one any good.  [UPDATES:  There has been a molotov cocktail attack on the Grimsby Mosque. 

Are these incidents going to be treated the same way by the task force?  If it is found that there are preachers of hate who instigated these attacks, will they also come under the venue of this task force?

UPDATE 5/27

Dr. Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed writes in the Independent Britain should prosecute terrorist suspects, not play shady games of geopolitics in which he says:

... Proscription and extradition have failed. What we need is a willingness to prosecute. The failure to do so is influenced by narrow geopolitical interests resulting from Britain’s subservience to US strategy in the Muslim world. According to the former MI6 officer Alastair Crooke, the Saudis, in pursuit of benefiting mutual US-Saudi interests, have played the role of proxy to the Americans, mobilising Islamist extremists to destabilise parts of the Middle East.

As David Cameron renews Britain’s commitment to supporting the rebels in Syria, who include al-Qa’ida-affiliated Islamists, questions must be asked whether Britain’s secret services have been compromised by short-sighted geopolitical interests. ...

Assed Baig wrote Woolwich and the Muslim Response that includes this passage:

... Why is it that Muslims and Muslim organisations are expected to condemn and distance themselves from the actions of two individuals? Why is it that Muslim organisations do not even need to be prompted to condemn; they are readily condemning actions that have nothing to do with them. There has been no attempt by Muslim organisations to discuss the causes of the attack, no attempt to question the mainstream media narrative that imposes labels on Muslims.

I was born and brought up in a majority Muslim area of Birmingham. I have travelled the country and the world. I have come across thousands of Muslims, spoken, debated and challenged opinions. Radicalisation is not a religious problem, it is a problem of society, and specifically, in this case, British society.

Muslim leaders have been scared into silence. Prevent officers visiting mosques and community leaders frighten them. They are told that if Muslims display any political opinions outside the mainstream then they are extremists, that if they do not inform on them, that their bank accounts can be frozen, mosques closed and they could face prison. Muslims are afraid. Muslim organisations and leaders are subservient to the state, scared to mention foreign policy as a radicalising factor just in case they are harangued for justifying the murder. It has got to such a state that we do not even realise that our minds have been conditioned through years of media misrepresentation and widespread Islamophobia. Questioning the reason for a murder does not mean condoning or justifying it. Condemning something that has nothing to do with you feeds into the narrative that this is a Muslim problem, that this is something that the Muslim community are responsible for, at least in part.

In turn so-called Muslim leaders stifled debate and discussion in mosques, too afraid to discuss anything political. For too long they have played a subservient role to the state, asking for a seat at the table and hoping for crumbs to be passed to them. I have not met a Muslim that has condoned the actions in Woolwich, but let’s not ignore what radicalises. British foreign policy radicalises, double standards radicalise, making Muslim youngsters feel like their opinions are not legitimate radicalises, stifling debate and discussion radicalises, not giving people a conduit to vent their opinions and frustrations radicalises, a lack of identity in Britain radicalises, we are either extremists or moderates.

We are told that Muslims are equal citizens in this country but the reality is something very different. If we say we don’t drink, we are labelled anti-social or not willing to integrate, if we drink we are labelled moderate, if a Muslim wears a hijab, she is oppressed, if she doesn’t she is liberated, if we express an opinion outside of the mainstream narrative, we are angry, if we join a mainstream political party we are passionate, if we sing the praises of the British establishment we are liberals, if we object to foreign policy we are extremists or Islamists. I for one am fed up of this apologetic and subservient tone. I have nothing to apologise for, I should not be asked to condemn the actions of two men that had nothing to do with me just as a white man should not be asked to condemn the murders committed by Anders Brevik or for the violent actions of the English Defence League.  ...

SEE ALSO:

[1]

- Claim that all or most terrorists are Muslims ignores history   (with lengthy TAM article collection)http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/claim_that_all_terrorists_are_muslims_ignores_history
- 17,000+ “Islamic terrorist” attacks exist only in fevered Islamophobic brains, Sheila Musajihttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/17000_islamic_terrorist_attacks_exist_in_fevered_islamophobic_brains 
- Report: U.S. Muslim Terrorism Was Practically Nil in 2012, Spencer Ackermanhttp://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/02/american-muslim-terrorism/ 
- Terrorism Expert: Since 9/11, Only 33 Deaths From Muslim Terrorism Vs. 150,000 Deaths From Murders, Faiz Shakir http://thinkprogress.org/security/2011/09/10/316260/terrorism-expert-since-911-only-33-deaths-from-muslim-terrorism-vs-150000-deaths-from-murders/ 
- ‘There was no Muslim terrorism in the UK until Iraq’ – Oxford imam Dr. Taj Hargey http://rt.com/op-edge/oxford-imam-woolwich-attack-697/

[2]  NYPD SPYING:

- 44 Organizations Issue Joint Statement on NYPD Surveillance of NY Area Mosqueshttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/44-organizations-issue-joint-statement-on-nypd-surveillance-of-ny-area-mosq 
- A Black Eye for Democracy, Len Levitt http://www.huffingtonpost.com/len-levitt/a-black-eye-for-democracy_b_2853877.html 
- Activists say NYPD surveillance harmed Muslimshttp://online.wsj.com/article/APfa493931438347ba988698c3eb945097.html 
- American Muslim Coalition Releases Critique of NYPD Radicalization Reporthttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/american_muslim_coalition_releases_critique_of_nypd_radicalization_report 
- American Muslim Report Condemns NYPD Surveillance http://www.voanews.com/content/american-muslim-report-condemns-nyp-surveillance/1619701.html 
- American Muslims Cooperation With Law Enforcement, Sheila Musajihttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/american-muslims-cooperation-with-law-enforcement 
- The Climate of Fear Created by the NYPD’s Pervasive Surveillance of Muslim Communities, Kevin Gosztola http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2013/03/11/the-climate-of-fear-created-by-nypds-pervasive-surveillance-of-muslim-communities/ 
- Counterproductive CounterterrorismHow Anti-Muslim Bias is Undermining America’s Homeland Security, MPAC http://www.mpac.org/publications/policy-papers/counterproductive-counterterrorism.php 
- Document shows NYPD sought to spy on Shiites, based on shared religion with Iranian terroristshttp://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/document-shows-nypd-sought-to-spy-on-shiites-based-on-shared-religion-with-iranian-terrorists/2012/02/02/gIQA6HO9kQ_story.html 
- Documents show NY police watched devout Muslims, Adam Goldmanhttp://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hE7olAeX9iUnh0LxCS2EjpniIXRw?docId=fd1a04fa820c44bd820aae6bc75d33e3 
- Existing reports and studies on radicalization in the American Muslim Community (TAM article collection) http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/relevant_reports 
- How the NYPD Slipped Blanket Surveillance of American Muslims Past the Courts—and the People, Aziz Huq http://www.thenation.com/article/163633/how-nypd-slipped-blanket-surveillance-american-muslims-past-courts%E2%80%94and-people
- Letter To Eric Holder Asking Him To Investigate NYPD’s Muslim Surveillancehttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/letter-to-eric-holder-asking-him-to-investigate-nypds-muslim-surveillance 
- Mapping Sharia Project’s “Sharia and violence in American mosques” report is raving, paranois, in(SANE)ity!, (with extensive article collection) Sheila Musajihttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/mapping_sharia_sheila 
- MUSLIM LEADERS AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT ON NYPD REPORT ON HOMEGROWN THREAT OF RADICALIZATION, MPAChttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/muslim_leaders_available_for_comment_on_nypd_report_on_homegrown_threa 
- ‘Muslim Mapping’ report urges leaders to declare that NYPD ‘informants are not welcomehttp://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2013/03/8270434/muslim-mapping-report-urges-leaders-declare-nypd-informants-are-not 
- Muslims detail fear from NYPD spy probe, Omar Sacirbeyhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/muslims-detail-fear-from-nypd-spy-probe/2013/03/11/1c2ed718-8a89-11e2-a88e-461ffa2e34e4_story.html 
- New Report Launch: NYPD Spying and its Impact on American Muslims, Mel Fabrikanthttp://www.paramuspost.com/article.php/20130306154241995
- New Report: “Mapping Muslims: NYPD Spying & its Impact on American Muslims”, Sheila Musajihttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/new-report-mapping-muslims-nypd-spying-its-impact-on-american-muslims
- New York’s finest Islamophobes: A new report sheds light on NYPD’s secret surveillance of Muslim communities. And what it reveals about liberals Falguni A. Shethhttp://www.salon.com/2013/03/11/new_yorks_finest_islamophobes/ 
- NYPD Cops’ Training Included an Anti-Muslim Horror Flick http://tinyurl.com/5vyc4fs 
- NYPD document: Gather intel info at Shiite mosqueshttp://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_NYPD_INTELLIGENCE?SITE=AP 
- NYPD document: Gather intel info at Shiite mosques, Matt Apuzzohttp://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/nypd-document-gather-intel-1328289.html 
- NYPD ethnic tracking included citizenshttp://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hOQ39X0OLlkIzQiI7TaaqlatTrhA?docId=e0e7aa13a4064dd48ee434416f9c49c1
- NYPD Intelligence Strategy Report (actual document)https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/288719-nypd-iranian-intel.html?key=9a9ba0d2ea8a33e7dce6 
- The NYPD, the CIA, and “The Third Jihad”, Sheila Musajihttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/nypd 
- NYPD Muslim Surveillance Report Details ‘Collateral Damage’ Of Program, Matt Sledgehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/11/nypd-muslim-surveillance_n_2855303.html?utm_hp_ref=new-york 
- NYPD Spied on U.S. Citizens Without Any Evidence of Crimeshttp://www.ibtimes.com/articles/218440/20110922/nypd-spying-nypd-surveillance-nypd-muslims-nypd-cia.htm 
- NYPD surveillance causes Muslim fear, chills religious freedom: reporthttp://newsandinsight.thomsonreuters.com/Legal/News/2013/03_-_March/NYPD_surveillance_causes_Muslim_fear,_chills_religious_freedom__report/
- NYPD targeting Muslims, Belen Fernandez http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/international/12-Feb-2013/new-york-police-targeting-muslims 
- NYPD terror report casts suspicion on all U.S. Muslimshttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/nypd_terror_report_casts_suspicion_on_all_us_muslims
- NYPD’s Cooperation With CIA Lacks Effective Oversight, Civil Liberties Groups Say, Matt Sledgehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/31/nypd-cia-demographics-unit-oversight_n_943967.html?ref=mostpopular 
- Police Spying on American Muslims Is a Pointless National Shame, John Knefelhttp://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/police-spying-on-american-muslims-is-a-pointless-national-shame-20130311#ixzz2NGNbyOMU 
- Report: NYPD’s Surveillance of Muslims ‘Harmful’, Mirela Iverac http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2013/mar/11/new-report-outlines-impact-nypds-surveillance-muslims/
- Where is the U.S. Government Getting It’s Information on Islam and Muslims?, (with lengthy article collection on use of Islamophobic “experts” and sources) Sheila Musajihttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/where_is_the_u.s._government_getting_its_information_on_islam_and_musl/0018728

[3] U.S. GOVERNMENT HEARINGS ON RADICALIZATION, EXTREMISM & TERRORISM:

— Rep. Peter King’s hearings, which seem to go on an onhttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/the_american_muslim_community_and_rep._peter_kings_islamic_radicalizat#1
— Rep. Allen West’s conference “Homegrown Jihad in the USA: Culmination of the Muslim Brotherhood’s 50-year History of Infiltrating America,” http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/cfns 
— State Senator Greg Ball’s hearing titled “Reviewing our Preparedness: An Examination of New York’s Public Protection Ten Years After September 11” which had “Sharia” as an agenda item and included testimony by known Islamophobes.http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/gop_lowers_the_anti-muslim_limbo_bar

[4] MURDER OF LEE RIGBY:

- 3 MUST SEE VIDEOS: — A British Imam’s Response to the Woolwich Killing - Shaykh Shams Ad Duha gives Khutbah on issues surrounding this brutal murder http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rU9yNAxOKg&feature=share  — A Response to the Woolwich Attack by Nabil Abdul Rashidhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU9QBX4U9qE&feature=youtu.be — An ex-British Army officer Sikh Londoner responds to the media and political response to the attack http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLLF6hVj48U&feature=share 
- A brave woman talked down Woolwich terrorists who told her: ‘We want to start a war in London tonight’ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/10074881/Mum-talked-down-Woolwich-terrorists-who-told-her-We-want-to-start-a-war-in-London-tonight.html 
- A British Imam’s Response to the Woolwich Killing - Shaykh Shams Ad Duha gives Khutbah on issues VIDEO http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rU9yNAxOKg&feature=share 
- A Murder in Woolwich: Was the brutal south London killing of a British soldier actually an act of terrorism?, H.A. Hellyerhttp://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/05/24/a_murder_in_woolwich_london_attack 
- Anti-Muslim reprisals after Woolwich attack: English Defence League in street battles with police in Woolwich and mosques attacked in apparent acts of revengehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/may/23/woolwich-attack-anti-muslim-reprisals 
- Birmingham murder may have been racially motivated, say policehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/may/02/birmingham-murder-racially-motivated-police
- British police arrest two more over London attack http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/23/us-britain-killing-cameron-idUSBRE94L0WU20130523
- Anjem Choudary Head of radical Islamist group who knew London knifeman blames UK foreign policyhttp://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-britain-killing-choudarybre94m0oz-20130523,0,7929839.story 
- Grandfather, 75, ‘tried to fight off killer’ before being stabbed to death outside his home on return from mosque’s evening prayers http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2316958/Small-Heath-stabbing-Birmingham-pensioner-Mohammed-Saleem-Chaudry-killed-way-evening-prayers.html 
- Imams distribute white roses in Woolwich & issue fatwa http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysw7zVr144I&feature=youtu.be 
- London Muslim Centre and Tower Hamlets Mayor condemn Woolwich attackshttp://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/news/court-crime/london_muslim_centre_and_tower_hamlets_mayor_condemn_woolwich_attacks_1_2206908 
- Muslims condemn barbaric killinghttp://www.asianimage.co.uk/news/10436984.Muslims_condemn_barbaric_killing/?ref=nt 
- Muslims must not apologise for terror - they are no more responsible than the rest of us, Ian Dunthttp://www.politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2013/05/22/comment-muslims-must-not-apologise-for-terror-they-are-no-mo 
- Mohammed Saleem and Lee Rigby both victims of senseless, extremist violence, Sheila Musajihttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/two-brutal-murders 
- Woolwich Machete Attack: Muslim Religious Groups Condemn Killinghttp://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/05/22/woolwich-machete-attack-religious-groups-condemn-killing_n_3322089.html?utm_hp_ref=uk?ncid=GEP 
- ‘Not in our name’ – British Muslims denounce the Woolwich attack on Twitterhttp://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2013/05/not-in-the-name-of-islam-british-muslims-denounce-the-woolwich-attack/ 
- UK mosques attacked in backlash of Woolwich beheadinghttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/UK-mosques-attacked-in-backlash-of-Woolwich-beheading/articleshow/20237304.cms 
- Was the London killing of a British soldier ‘terrorism’?, Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/23/woolwich-attack-terrorism-blowback 
- What does it feel like to be a Muslim Londoner today? The Woolwich killings and my raw uncensored emotions, Shelina Zahra Janmohamed http://www.spirit21.co.uk/2013/05/woolwich-killings-raw-uncensored-emotions-of-a-muslim-londoner/ 
- Why do Muslims keep having to explain themselves?, Yasmine Alibhai Brownhttp://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/why-do-muslims-keep-having-to-explain-themselves-8632784.html 
- Woolwich attack: government convenes emergency meeting – live updateshttp://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/may/22/woolwich-two-shot-in-police-incident-live-coverage 
- Woolwich attack: lone wolf and jihadist theories will occupy security forceshttp://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/may/22/woolwich-attack-lone-wolf-jihadist 
- Woolwich attack: These killers represent no one but themselveshttp://blogs.metro.co.uk/news/woolwich-attack-these-killers-represent-one/
- The Woolwich Attack: Should We Feel Terrorised?‎, Myriam Francois-Cerrahhttp://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/myriam-francois/the-woolwich-attack-shoul_b_3331910.html

[5]  TERRORISM DOUBLE STANDARDS:

- A terrorist by any other name,  Jon Pahl http://www.commongroundnews.org/article.php?id=27612&lan=en&sid=1&sp=0&isNew=1 
- Actually, Many Muslim Terrorists Are as Unbalanced as Jared Loughner, Cord Jeffersonhttp://www.good.is/post/like-jared-loughner-many-muslim-terrorists-suffer-from-mental-health-issues/ 
- America’s own terror group?, Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.salon.com/2012/07/11/americas_own_terror_group/ 
- Are the MEK’s U.S. friends its worst enemies?, Josh Roginhttp://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/03/08/are_the_mek_s_us_friends_its_worst_enemies 
- Are MEK Politicos Like Rendell Taking Saddam Hussein’s Blood Money?http://nakedphiladelphian.blogspot.com/2012/03/are-mek-politicos-like-rendell-taking.html#ixzz1pNS8Sjew 
- Boston Marathon blasts: Is terrorism Muslim?, Areeba Kamalhttp://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/16922/boston-marathon-blasts-is-terrorism-muslim/ 
- The Boston Marathon, Terrorism, and President Obama, Omid Safihttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/the-boston-marathon-terrorism-and-president-obama 
- Colorado Shooting Highlights Double Standards on Defining Terrorism, Sheila Musajihttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/what-if 
- Council on Foreign Relations Backgrounder on Mujahadeen-e-Khalq (MEK) (aka People’s Mujahedin of Iran or PMOI) http://www.cfr.org/iran/mujahadeen-e-khalq-mek-aka-peoples-mujahedin-iran-pmoi/p9158 
- Does Rep. King’s IRA/Terrorist Connection Matter?, Sheila Musajihttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/does_rep._kings_ira_terrorist_connection_matter 
- First They Come For the Muslims, Chris Hedges http://www.opednews.com/articles/First-They-Come-For-the-Mu-by-Chris-Hedges-120416-39.html 
- The Folly of American Pro-MEK Advocates, Daniel Larison http://nejatngo.org/en/post.aspx?id=4297 
- Hutaree Christian Militia, Not an Isolated Phenomena, Sheila Musajihttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/hutaree_christian_militia_not_an_isolated_phenomena 
- Hutaree Militia Arrests Point to Tripling of Militias since 2008http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2010/0329/Hutaree-militia-arrests-point-to-tripling-of-militias-since-2008 
- Interview with Juan Cole on America’s Terrorism Double Standardhttp://billmoyers.com/2012/08/16/juan-cole-on-americas-terrorism-double-standard/ 
Iranian group’s big-money push to get off US terrorist list, Scott Petersonhttp://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/0808/Iranian-group-s-big-money-push-to-get-off-US-terrorist-list 
- Israel teams with terror group to kill Iran’s nuclear scientists, U.S. officials tell NBC News, Richard Engel & Robert Windrem http://rockcenter.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/08/10354553-israel-teams-with-terror-group-to-kill-irans-nuclear-scientists-us-officials-tell-nbc-news 
- It’s official. There is a Muslim exemption to the First Amendment, Carol Rosehttp://boston.com/community/blogs/on_liberty/2012/04/its_official_there_is_a_muslim.html 
- It’s Only Terrorism When Muslims Do It, Danios http://www.loonwatch.com/2012/03/its-only-terrorism-when-muslims-do-it/ 
- It’s Only Terrorism If Muslims Do It?, Britni Danielle http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2011/07/its-only-terrorism-if-muslims-do-it/ 
- Justice Department Investigating Whether MEK Speakers Accepted Illegal Fees from Terror Group, Richard Silverstein http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2012/03/13/justice-department-investigating-whether-mek-speakers-accepted-illegal-fees-from-terror-group/ 
- Tarek Mehanna, Hutaree, MEK, & Kevin Forts: One of these is not like the others?, Sheila Musaji (with lengthy TAM article collection on these cases) http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/tarek-mehanna-case 
- MEK Terror (from FBI report) http://www.niacouncil.org/site/PageServer?pagename=mek_fbireport 
- The MEK’s useful idiots, Philip Giraldi http://www.councilforthenationalinterest.org/news/opinion-a-analysis/item/1477-the-mek%E2%80%99s-useful-idiots 
- Militia Movement: Extremism in America, ADL http://www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/militia_m.asp?xpicked=4&item=19 
- Militias Seen as Gaining Strength http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-04-16-militia-movement-on-the-rise_N.htm 
- Money vs. Facts: The Mujahedin-e Khalq Is a Terrorist Organization, Reza Marashihttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/reza-marashi/mek-terrorist-organization_b_1350676.html 
- Muslims and the War on Terror, Faisal Kutty http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/05/23/muslims-and-the-war-on-terror/
- Muslims can be crazy, criminal, or perverted too!, Sheila Musajihttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/saudi_woman 
- The Mujahedeen Khalq M.E.K and terrorism double standardshttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/some-terrorist-groups 
- National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (at University of Maryland) backgrounder on the M.E.K.http://www.start.umd.edu/start/data_collections/tops/terrorist_organization_profile.asp?id=3632 
- Non-Muslims Carried Out More than 90% of All Terrorist Attacks on U.S. Soilhttp://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/05/muslims-only-carried-out-2-5-percent-of-terrorist-attacks-on-u-s-soil-between-1970-and-2012.html 
- Officials See Rise In Militia Groups Across US, Eileen Sullivanhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/12/officials-see-rise-in-mil_n_257128.html 
- One of these bomb threats is not like the others (EDL bomb plot), Sheila Musajihttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/one-of-these-bomb-threats-is-not-like-the-others 
- Oklahoma City bombing: Is 1995 repeating itself today?, Peter Grierhttp://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0419/Oklahoma-City-bombing-Is-1995-repeating-itself-today 
- Sarah Palin, Blame, and Responsibility, Sheila Musaji (Arizona shooting)http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/sarah_palin_is_a_little_confused 
- Perceptions of terrorism, post 9/11, Erin McIverhttp://www.themontrealreview.com/2009/Perceptions-of-Terrorism.php 
- Personalizing civil liberties abuses, Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.salon.com/2012/04/16/personalizing_civil_liberties_abuses/singleton/ 
- Punishing Muslims for free speech only helps Al Qaeda, Sahar Azizhttp://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2012/0419/Tarek-Mehanna-Punishing-Muslims-for-free-speech-only-helps-Al-Qaeda 
- The real criminals in the Tarek Mehanna case, Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.salon.com/2012/04/13/the_real_criminals_in_the_tarek_mehanna_case/singleton/(includes full text of Mehanna’s sentencing statement)
- Rendell, Investigated In Mujahideen-e Khalq Speaker Fees, Backs ‘Terrorist’ Group, Christina Wilkiehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/12/ed-rendell-investigated-mujahideen-e-khalq_n_1340566.html 
- Rendell under investigation for speaking fees earned stumping for terrorist group, Steven Nelsonhttp://dailycaller.com/2012/03/13/rendell-under-investigation-for-speaking-fees-earned-stumping-for-terrorist-group/#ixzz1p2YhUuUP
- The Return of Christian Terrorism, Mark Juergensmeyerhttp://religiondispatches.org/archive/religionandtheology/2432/the_return_of_christian_terrorism________/ 
- Bill Richardson speaker fees linked to known terror grouphttp://www.kob.com/article/stories/S2533306.shtml?cat=517 
- Romney On The MEK Last December: ‘I’m Not Familiar With That Group’, Ali Gharibhttp://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/03/15/445294/romney-mek-iran/ 
- SPLC Urges DHS to Reassess Resources After Key Analyst Reveals Unit on Domestic Terror was Scaled Back in Wake of Right-Wing Criticism http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/news/splc-urges-dhs-to-reassess-resources-after-key-analyst-reveals-unit-on-domestic-terror-was-scaled-back 
- SPLC Report: “Patriot” Groups, Militias Surge in Number in Past Year http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/news/splc-report-number-of-patriot-groups-militias-surges-by-244-in-past-year 
- Selective Counterterrorism Practices Threaten Social Mobility of American Muslims, Sahar Azizhttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/selective-counterterrorism-practices-threaten-social-mobility-of-american-m 
- Some terrorism scares are more useful than othershttp://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2011/01/20/some-terrorism-scares-are-more-useful-than-other-terrorism-scares/ 
- Robert Spencer and the Big Lie About “Islamic” Terrorism Threat, Sheila Musajihttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/robert-spencers-specious-arguments 
- Joseph Stack: Since when is attempting to blow up a federal building NOT an act of domestic terrorism?, David Neiwert http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/huh-when-attempting-blow-federal-bui 
- Terrorism and the other Religions, Juan Colehttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/terrorism-and-the-other-religions 
- Terrorism: the most meaningless and manipulated word: The reluctance to apply the term “Terrorism” to Joseph Stack demonstrates how cynically it is used, Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.salon.com/2010/02/19/terrorism_19/ 
- The terrorist as public relations expert (Breivik), Sheila Musajihttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/the_terrorist_as_media
- Todays Eerie Similarities to Oklahoma City, Aitan Goelmanhttp://www.politico.com/news/stories/0410/35993.html 
- The “War on Terror” Creates “Islamic” Terrorism, Danioshttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/the-war-on-terror-creates-islamic-terrorism 
- Was Joseph Stack a terrorist, Kevin Drum http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/02/was-joseph-stack-terrorist 
- Washington’s high-powered terrorist supporters, Glenn Greenwaldhttp://www.salon.com/2012/03/12/washingtons_high_powered_terrorist_supporters/singleton/ 
- The West Has a Double Standard in Terrorism Cases (Breivik case), Ivan Elandhttp://original.antiwar.com/eland/2011/07/26/the-west-has-a-double-standard-in-terrorism-cases/ 
- What Americans Can Do to Discourage Future McVeighs, Kathleen Parkerhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/16/AR2010041603842.html 
- What if they were Muslim http://whatiftheyweremuslim.com/ 
- What’s Up With All the MEK Ads?, Clare Malone http://prospect.org/article/whats-all-mek-ads 
- When is a terrorist group not a terrorist group?, Ed Drum http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/03/when-terrorist-group-not-terrorist-group 
- White House Releases “New” Counter-terrorism Strategy, Sheila Musajihttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/law_enforcement_training_on_islam_and_muslims 
- Who Will Convict the US Government for “Material Support of Terrorism”?http://spencerwatch.com/2012/04/16/who-will-convict-the-us-government-for-material-support-of-terrorism/ 
- Why are Mexican drug cartels not listed as terrorist organizations http://tucsoncitizen.com/view-from-baja-arizona/2010/08/17/mexican-drug-cartels-are-not-listed-as-official-terrorist-organizations/ 
- Why Can’t Terrorists Be Mentally Ill, Too?, Cord Jeffersonhttp://www.thenation.com/blog/169063/why-cant-terrorists-be-mentally-ill-too# 
- Why is no one calling Jared Loughner a terrorist http://www.good.is/post/why-is-nobody-calling-jared-loughner-a-terrorist/

[6]  A FEW ANTI-MUSLIM HATE CRIMES IN BRITAIN:

- 13 charged over EDL Sunderland mosque protest http://www.islamophobia-watch.com/islamophobia-watch/2013/3/1/13-charged-over-sunderland-mosque-protest.html 
- 632 anti-Muslim hate incidents recorded by Tell Mama in 1st year http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21712826 
- BNP member calls for Swansea Mosque & Islamic Community Centre to be burnt downhttp://www.islamophobia-watch.com/islamophobia-watch/2013/3/4/bnp-member-calls-for-swansea-mosque-islamic-community-centre.html 
- EDL Criminals (list of criminal, extremist, and violent acts)https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oCFu4MXoeKFDJBVMfPegvQqiDL91Q8jg_ZOyhe7VgV4/edit?pli=1
- Knifeman ordered Bristol women to take off hijabs http://www.islamophobia-watch.com/islamophobia-watch/2013/4/17/knifeman-ordered-bristol-women-to-take-off-hijabs.html 
- Members of EDL mob who attacked Plymouth takeaway get sentenced http://www.islamophobia-watch.com/islamophobia-watch/2013/2/23/members-of-edl-mob-who-attacked-plymouth-takeaway-get-senten.html 
- Mohammed Saleem and Lee Rigby both victims of senseless, extremist violence, Sheila Musajihttp://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/two-brutal-murders/0019801 
- UK study from European Muslim Research Centre highlights anti-Muslim hate crimeshttp://www.thenational.ae/news/world/uk-study-highlights-anti-muslim-hate-crimes 
- Woolwich Attacks: ‘Massive Spike’ In Anti-Muslim Attacks Including Death Threats And Vandalismhttp://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/05/24/anti-muslim-hatred-woolwich-murder_n_3330756.html

[7]  ARTICLES SPECIFICALLY DISCUSSING THIS NEW TASK FORCE:

(written after this article was posted)

Woolwich murder: we must use reason to beat terrorists, Terry Eagletonhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/26/woolwich-murders-reason-beat-terrorists

Woolwich case: Is task force an alibi to suppress Muslimshttp://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/05/27/305652/woolwich-case-alibi-to-suppress-muslims/