Associated Press Writers Can’t Figure Out Why a Well-Off Texas Muslim Who Graduated from Boarding School Joined al-Qaida

That lobotomy rears its ugly head again in an article by the Associated Press titled, “Why did boarding school graduate join al-Qaida?” It’s easy enough for the writers of the article to ask the question, but finding the answer must have been as complicated as interdimensional quantum rocket science. Note to the AP: When one of Moeed Abdul Salam’s Muslim companions was impressed enough with him to state that his Qur’anic recitation “was very good,” it shouldn’t really be all that difficult to figure out why a well-educated Westerner who lived and breathed the Qur’an decided to partake in the joys of jihad. Here are a few clues to whet the appetites of any aspiring investigative reporters who may be out there …

Sura 3:151, “We shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve …”

Sura 4:89, “Have no unbelieving friends. Kill the unbelievers wherever you find them.”

Sura 5:51, “O you who believe! do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends …”

Sura 8:12b, “… terrorize and behead those who believe in scriptures other than the Qur’an.”

Sura 9:14, “Fight them, Allah will punish them by your hands and bring them to disgrace …”

Sura 9:123, “O ye who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are near to you, and let them find harshness in you …”

By CHRIS BRUMMITT and GENE JOHNSON – “Moeed Abdul Salam didn’t descend into radical Islam for lack of other options. He grew up in a well-off Texas household, attended a pricey boarding school and graduated from one of the state’s most respected universities.

But the most unlikely thing about his recruitment was his family: Two generations had spent years promoting interfaith harmony and combating Muslim stereotypes in their hometown and even on national television.

Salam rejected his relatives’ moderate faith and comfortable life, choosing instead a path that led him to work for al-Qaida. His odyssey ended late last year in a middle-of-the-night explosion in Pakistan. The 37-year-old father of four was dead after paramilitary troops stormed his apartment.

His Nov. 19 death went largely unnoticed in the U.S. and rated only limited attention in Pakistan. But the circumstances threatened to overshadow the work of an American family devoted to religious understanding…

And his mysterious evolution presented a reminder of the attraction Pakistan still holds for Islamic militants, especially well-educated Westerners whose Internet and language skills make them useful converts for jihad.” Read more.

Fact Check: Why Rick Perry is Right About Turkey

Leave it to CNN to misrepresent facts. Again. Even a left-leaning lobotomized liberal willing to take a mere cursory glance at the AKP’s Erdogan or even Turkish history in general would, with whatever remaining fragment of logic and reason they still possessed, have easily concluded that Rick Perry was much closer to the truth than they’d otherwise be willing to admit. But then again, when the integrity of journalism is lobotomized by the scalpel of political correctness, no room for logic and reason remain …

By Daniel Greenfield – “Fact checkers and truth squads are the media’s latest tool for blurring the line between the editorial page and the new page. The ubiquitous fact checks are editorializing dressed up as verification. While on some occasions there are actual facts to verify, for the most part the fact checks defend a partisan liberal viewpoint on a particular issue.

So no sooner did Rick Perry suggest that Turkey had no place in NATO and that some perceive its government to be run by Islamic terrorists than the media rolled out its fact checks. In the spirit of fact checking the fact checkers, let’s have a fact check of our own.

CNN Statement: ‘Turkey is not ruled by Islamic terrorists. It is led by a party with Islamist roots, the Justice and Freedom Party, or AKP.’

Those are the facts according to CNN’s Truth Squad, which took its name from a certain book by George Orwell. But let’s look at the actual facts.

The Facts: The AKP emerged out of a series of banned Islamist political movements. CNN’s Lie Squad mentions that the AKP’s current leader of Turkey Erdogan was banned for reading an Islamic poem in public. It neglects to mention the content of the poem.

‘The minarets are our

Nigeria: Christian Pastor Found Dead with Slit Throat in Gombe State

By Vincent Ekhoragbon – “A cleric, Pastor Yahaya Abdu of Baptist Church, Bajoga in Funakaye Local Government Area of Gombe State, has been found dead near his house.

It was learnt that the body of the preacher was found on Sunday, with his throat slit open.

Police spokesman Ahmed Mohammed, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said there was no clue yet on the cleric’s assailants.

He said the police were investigating the matter and would make public their report on it and other recent killings in the state.

Mohammed called for calm among the residents, saying the police would end criminality in the state.

Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Chair, Rev. Abare Kalla said he received the news with sadness, adding that he would establish what happened and how it happened.

He urged Christians to remain calm and steadfast in their prayers to God to reveal those behind the killing.” Source – The Nation.

‘Startling’: Up to 6.7 Million Bats Now Dead of ‘White-Nose’ Fungus in Canada and the United States

“U.S. scientists are estimating that between 5.7 million and 6.7 million bats in Canada and the United States have succumbed to white-nose syndrome, a fungus spreading in eastern North America.

The mortality figures were released Tuesday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

‘White-nose syndrome has spread quickly through bat populations in eastern North America, and has caused significant mortality in many colonies,’ said Dr. Jeremy Coleman, co-ordinator of the U.S white-nose syndrome program. ‘Many bats were lost before we were able to establish pre-white-nose syndrome population estimates.’

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service director Dan Ashe said the ‘startling ‘ figures illustrate the severity of the threat facing the animals.

‘Bats provide tremendous value to the U.S. economy as natural pest control for American farms and forests every year, while playing an essential role in helping to control insects that can spread disease to people,’ Ashe said.

White-nose syndrome was first detected in a cave west of Albany, N.Y., in 2006. It has since spread to 16 states, along with Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Scientists expect the disease will continue to spread to other regions.

Bats with the syndrome exhibit unusual behavior during cold winter months, including flying outside during the day and clustering near the entrances of caves and mines where they hibernate. The disease is named for the white patches that appear on the muzzles and other body parts of hibernating bats.

Advocates says action is needed to protect bats.

‘Today’s new mortality estimates are a wake-up call that we need to do more, and fast,’ said Mollie Matteson with the Center for Biological Diversity.” Source – CBC.ca.

Nigeria: Christians Told to ‘Leave, Convert or Die’ as Nation’s Leader Says Protecting Christians Against Religious Cleansing Now Nearly Impossible

And I guess it would be when you’re own top “security” officer is unable — or unwilling — to keep Islamist killers locked up …

By Charlie Butts – “Another religious persecution watchdog group is drawing attention to the dangerous situation in Nigeria.

There has been a spike in violence against Christians in Nigeria and a terrorist group called Boko Haram is taking credit. International Christian Concern spokesman Jonathan Racho points out that more than 80 Christians have been martyred in the north in the past few weeks.

‘The Christian leaders in Nigeria are expressing their concern that these killings could amount to religious cleansing,’ says Racho. ‘They are calling for help. They are calling for prayers.’

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed concern in a recent statement that it is nearly impossible to protect Christians.

‘He said there are people within this government branch who sympathize with Boko Haram — Islamic radicals — and he was talking about how the situation is really complicated because of that,’ says the ICC spokesman. ‘You have a situation where the government is divided now.’

President Jonathan is Christian — and while the south is predominantly Christian, the north is mostly Muslim. Boko Haram has set a deadline for Christians in the north to leave that part of the country, convert to Islam, or die.

International Christian Concern says the potential danger to Christians is so serious that perhaps Nigeria should seek outside assistance and expertise in order to prevent genocide.” Source – One News Now.

Top Nigerian cop suspended over suspected sect member escape – “Nigerian authorities on Tuesday suspended a top police officer for alleged negligence in the escape of a suspected member of the Islamist Boko Haram sect arrested over a deadly Christmas bomb attack. The principal suspect, Kabiru Sokoto, who was arrested on Saturday, was handed over to a police commissioner for further investigation. He was then ordered to be taken to Abaji, near Abuja, for further investigation, police said in a statement. ‘In the course of undertaking this important procedure, the policemen on escorts with the suspect were attacked by the suspected sect gang members and in the process the suspect was freed,’ it said. ‘The police view this development as a serious negligence on the part of the commissioner of police and have since queried and suspended him from duty,’ it added.” Read more.