Pagan

Paganism is on the rise. By Pagan, I don’t mean ancient religion like Hinduism whose followers have been practicing their faith for thousands of years without conflict, severe repression or interference from other organized religions like Islam or Christianity.

I’m more interested in extinct religion like the belief system of the pagan of Arabia before the pre-Islamic era and also old western religions like Druidism, Wiccan and Asatru (before the emergence of Christianity).

While we can hardly find people claiming to worship or practice the ancient pagan religion of Arabia (maybe because we don’t exactly know what that is?), we can most certainly find some people (living mostly in western countries) who unashamedly and without even a slight hesitation confessing to have abandon their parents’ Christian faith and adopted the pagan religion of their ancestors.

Paganism is defined as

a broad group of indigenous and historical polytheistic religious traditions—primarily those of cultures known to the classical world. In a wider sense, paganism has also been understood to include any non-Abrahamic, folk, or ethnic religion.

You can find plenty of Youtube videos of folks who have embraced new version of old pagan religion like the Asatru (contemporary paganism )

Among reasons cited by them for abandoning the faith they were born into are:

• They no longer view Christianity as a divine religion. Christianity too has been deeply influenced by paganism
• They perceived Christianity as a ‘foreign faith’ because it originates from the Middle-East while the pagan religion of their ancestor has a very strong ‘local’ (western) root
• They reject organized religions (all of the main ones) because these religions don’t offer much benefit to mankind
• Paganism has allowed them to have a deeper and closer relationship to the nature

These are some of the reasons given by them.

Moving on.

We don’t know much about the pagan religion of Arabia. Did Islam ‘wiped’ out the old faith completely? I don’t think so because I’ve heard some people claiming that while the pagan concept of God of Arabia no longer exist but Islam has heavily borrowed many of the traditions/practices before Islam and incorporated in the new faith.

I’m not exactly sure if the Muslim community back then actively prosecuted people for following something unconventional or if the concept of conventional even existed back then. Based on the historical development of various sects and school of thoughts, people were not shy from expressing their ideas and we have written record of that. Unfortunately, it’s no longer the case now because if you have any opinions that seem unorthodox..you may get yourself kill..simply for even thinking about it. The society has really retrogressed much.

In the next few posts, we will hopefully look into the pagan religion of Arabia.

Eid is here

This has been an eventful month with lots of violence in the area known as the Middle East and elsewhere. In the Middle East, a band of rebels known as the ISIS or Islamic State is waging what they believe is a holy war against a few selective governments that they think are not Islamic enough for their taste. Israeli-Palestinian conflict is still going on strong and the idea of any form of a peaceful resolution is simply unattainable (right now) unfortunately. Egypt, the land of the Pyramids, has gone through a complete circle from dictatorship to populous revolution followed briefly by a democratic election and now they are back to military dictatorship. In other places greed is taking over every aspect of human life and even in places which are relatively safe (without conflicts), people are suffering in one form or another.

The fasting in the holy month of Ramadhan has finally come to an end. Celebration has already begun in many parts of the world. People who have fasted in this month, the children and those living in places with significant larger community of Muslim know the true joy of Eid.

Moving on, when exactly is the Eid year 2014 / 1435? Based on past experiences, the first day of Eid can fall on either of the three days depending on how you estimate and calculate the date and sight the birth of a new moon (moon sighting). There’s a historical precedence in the process of pre-determination of the first day of Eid. Some folks believe that this precedence is merely an optional suggestion/guideline and the expected outcome should/will still vary depending on various other astronomical/geographical/technological factors that either didn’t exist back then or were not explained clearly enough.

Last year, I blogged a bit about some of the issues related to the moon sighting. Based on my observation and despite all the challenges, I still think the best approach is to do-it-yourself moon sighting. Go out there and look for the hilal. If you are too lazy then take any of the days mentioned as the likely candidate and hope for the best.

Celebration of the Eid comes with some nice traditions that bring families and communities together (in the future, time and energy permitting, I think I’ll go deeper in the celebration of the Eid).

As of now, enjoy/ have fun.

Justice for the passengers of flight MH 17?

We are seeing some differences not only in the way how both these flights crashed but also on the way how the authority responsible to deal with this situation handled the investigation and also the behaviors from the victims’ family and the expectation of the world in general.

MH 370: The Malaysian Authorities (government and representative from the airline company) were proven to be very incompetent. They embarrassed themselves way too many times. Because the flight disappeared under such a mysterious circumstance, the people were more than willing to overlook the less than stealer search mission. Most of us hoped that they will find the plane because we were frustrated of not being able to solve the mystery of its disappearance.

MH 17: Because it happened in a foreign soil right in the middle of a conflict zone, no one knew exactly who was responsible to coordinate the investigation or how we can bring the dead bodies’ home.

MH 370: Cause of the crash is unknown. Did it really crash? We cannot say for sure without having some evidences to back it up but at the same time we also cannot say that the plane is still flying in the air! The most likely possibility based on the investigation is that it has crashed somewhere in the south western corner of the Indian Ocean.

MH 17: It crashed from 33 K feet above. The investigators have already dismissed mechanical failure or the weather as the cause (based on the evidence they have so far). They believe that the plane was brought down by a missile.

MH 370: Search mission was badly coordinated. The politicians who didn’t have enough expertise (or the know-how in the disaster-search) or were even skillful in communication were sending mix-messages in their daily session (briefing) with the journalists.

MH 17: The news cycle was equally dominated by reactions from whoever they put on tv (sometimes factual, many times it was just propagandas or blame-game, maybe because we know so much about the crash (even to the extent of knowing the type of missile that brought it down and the country of origin/manufacturer and where was it seen last)), and occasionally we see some raw footage of the crash site and victims. Because it happened in a conflict zone, it wasn’t easy to access the site. I heard that they are still denying the investigators the full access to the crash site that they need in order to do their job properly.

MH 370: The majority of the passengers were from China (Chinese origin). The families of the passengers were distraught and when they couldn’t get straight answers from Malaysia, many became angry and agitated. I also think that some of them were manipulated emotionally to act extra-aggressive (throwing tantrums and calling for boycotting).

MH 17: I didn’t see the same level of distrust exhibited by the families of the passengers, the majority of whom were of Dutch origin. They wanted their government to act quickly to resolve the standoff, get the bodies home and start the investigation. Most of the European countries are working on tougher economical sanction against Russia because of this incident, but a lot of people are still reserving their judgments until the investigation concluded.

Do you think that the people who brought down Malaysia Airlines flight mh 17 killing all the passengers will be brought to justice?

I really doubt that the justice will be served in this case because the criminals are shielded by very powerful people.

Do scientific miracles really exist in the Quran?

The discussion about scientific ‘miracles’ of the Quran can be very argumentative. I generally try to stay away from it, mainly because I’m not a very big believer of the scientific miracles of the Quran.

Some of the verses in the Quran appear to be very insightful (like human conception, life beginning from water, the concept of atom etc) but overall I don’t think the Quran contains extraordinary revelation about any branches of sciences (physical, biological, astronomy, quantum, etc).

Perhaps some Muslims have found some very extraordinary claims (interesting or mysterious) from the Quran and so they see this as something very ‘magical’ and hence it must be from the God, otherwise how on earth can someone even possibly know all those ‘scientific’ facts, some of them that only came into existence as recent as the 19th and 20th century.

See, this is the part that has always confuses me. The so-called scientific verses from the Quran are very interesting, no doubt, but they don’t really translate well into real scientific statements/facts/theories that is contained in the modern scientific corpus.

For e.g, A verse from the Quran claims that that the life began/originate from water. I would of course agree because if we had no water then human being would die from thirst, the livestock and animals would die and no plants could grow to sustain life for the benefit of human and non-human. So without a doubt, water is the most crucial source of life. This is intuitive.

The folks who seem to believe in the scientific miracles of the Quran claim that we cannot just look at the most obvious interpretation of that verse but go one step further, at the creation of life itself (or the origin of every living being on earth). And this is where I think the whole argument falls apart.

Science of creation of living being doesn’t really give you a nice one sentence statement. It is a very complex chemical and biological process way beyond the comprehension of most folks in which water may have played a small/big role depending on how you choose to look at.

I’m also aware that a lot of these Quranic verses are twisted and tweaked to fit in the ‘scientific’ description. For, eg there’s one verse that talked about how ‘the earth and sky/heaven were initially joined together’ but then it was split apart. Someone actually think that this verse is talking about the big bang theory of the Universe! Can you believe that?!

Moving on.

I’m not entirely sure but I think this ‘looking for sciences in the Quranic verses’ is a recent phenomenon. I remember reading about a book written by a Muslim convert (ex-Christian?) who was soo impressed by what he was reading in the Quran that he started to read way more than he should have. Yep, he ‘discovered’ interesting ‘scientific facts’. His book became a bestseller of some sorts in the Muslim World. Muslims were convinced that the Quran contains many hidden proofs/gems that matched exactly with the modern science. Maybe the convert who wrote that book had the purest of intention but the people who came later didn’t have the purest of intentions. I’m not going to name names but I think you can guess who those folks are.

Let’s now look into the ancient and medieval Muslim scientists who were making breakthrough scientific discoveries. Did they have a deeper connection to the Quran than at the surface level as we know it? Perhaps they were inspired by the book to ponder on the environment/nature they are living in, be curious and seek knowledge. People who are considered as ‘Quran experts’ (translators, historian and exegists) don’t go beyond the traditional methods. They may have utilized scientific process in their work but they could care less about anything specific from the realm of natural sciences.

Too many propagandas and conspiracy theories

Have you been noticing that we have been bombarded with an unreasonable high number of propagandas and conspiracy theories regarding the recent crash involving the Malaysian Airlines flight MH 17?

A few months ago we had another case of a Malaysian Airlines plane with almost the same size and capacity that went missing mysteriously (MH 370). I remember reading the many conflicting news reports about that incident. People mostly had no clue as to what actually happened to the airplane. When the investigation didn’t find/reveal anything insightful (as to the location of the crash, who and for what/motive), then all of the speculations started to sound believable. We couldn’t really verify or even reject any of the claims because we didn’t have access to the crash site, the black box or the victims.

This time everything is very different. We actually have a crash site, very good tracking capabilities (via satellites and flight trackers), ground reports of the incident, the black boxes, and even victim’s bodies. So, it shouldn’t really be that hard to piece everything together..right?

Wrong!

We are currently living in the age of technology where massive propaganda and conspiracy theories can be easily disseminated rapidly. If they don’t like the way you are thinking about something then they will try to change it, logically if they can, emotionally if they must.

I’m completely against these sort of mind manipulations (propagandas, conspiracies, false advertising, social experiments, what have you) because I think they are not entirely ethical.

Moving on.

I was trying to find a list of conspiracy theories about the crash, who said what, when and possibly a refutation of them. It seems no one has done a good job on it yet. I hope someone can do this in the future.

I saw an article today that analyzed one or two of the talking points (very narrowly in the context of what the American public might be interested to read). It is about one of the alleged comments made by the rebel leader after shooting down what he thought was a Ukrainian military plane which was later identified as flight MH 17. The site provided an evidence to support the claim; a screenshot of a post by the rebel leader which was deleted soon after.)

I think we should have a checklist of all the claims made; by who and when; and see if any of it can be supported with the existing facts.

I almost believe that we would be able to uncover all the facts truthfully if the investigators were given unlimited access to the site provided that the crucial evidences are not lost.

Strongman Putin is almost invincible

The recent tragedy involving the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 has shown once again the real strength of Vladimir Putin and the Russian secretive apparatus. They are almost invincible. Nothing can really touch them.
Shooting civilian’s aircrafts is a criminal act. People don’t really get away with it, unless you are extremely powerful and well connected, then you can get away with just about anything.

Today, Putin seemed almost sympathetic. He allowed (via proxy of course!) the bodies of the dead passengers to be removed. He also promised to facilitate (help in any way he can?) with an independent investigation. Does this mean that the Pro-Russian trigger happy guy who shoots down the plane is going to die soon under mysterious circumstances?

Shooting down this plane was probably a mistake/an accident. Ukraine is a hot area. Everyone is trying to grab a piece of it. And they are doing it the old fashion way via military. A lot of innocent folks have died since the Ukrainian’s revolution this year. More people died when Russia took over Crimea. I was a little bit surprised when no one stepped in to stop Russia from taking Crimea. A country shouldn’t be allowed to just go into another country to arbitrarily annex a part of it (just because of a historical claim or whatever). My guess is that if people didn’t care enough back then (or were too scared to do/say anything) then perhaps we are not going to see anything different this time?

Was Islam always sectarian?

When did Islam started to be viewed/accepted in a sectarian way. Most of the Islamic sects are very sectarian in nature. They believe that only they possess the correct interpretation of Islam and are guided and that only they will be among the people who will enjoy eternal happiness and bliss in paradise?

I think the way Islam has evolved into various sects is very natural because it's just human nature to have opinions about something. Probably the absolute worse thing that has happened in the Muslim world is the narrow-mindedness and the lack of tolerance displayed towards followers of other sects. When or how did the intolerance started? Or perhaps intolerance was a big part of the Arab culture and it eventually made into the official version of Islam under the guise of 'This is what the Prophet said and he's always right'!?

I've been observing this student of the Sunni Imam Abu Hanifa by the nickname of Abu Yusuf for a while now. I think he played an important role in illustrating Islam via the many Sunni sects. He legitimizes the process of how various opinions (even somewhat contradictory) can be consolidated into Islamic theology. I don't fully agree with this approach of labeling everything 'theologically sound'.

I'm still waiting to write something more substantial later but I'll leave this note here

As a disciple of Abu Hanifa, Abu Yusuf's doctrine largely presupposes that of his mentor. His writings and prominent political positions helped advance the Hanafi school of Islamic law throughout the Islamic empire.[3] While most of his legal opinions (fatwas) were firmly rooted in the doctrine and methodology espoused by his former teacher, there are some points on which he diverged and revealed his own legal thought. The doctrine of Abu Yusuf was more dependent on traditions (ahadith) than his master, in part because there were more authoritative prophetic traditions available to him in his time.[1] He also reacted against the somewhat unrestrained reasoning exhibited by Abu Hanifa. However, he was not always consistent; in a certain number of cases he disregarded sounder and more highly developed doctrine by diverging from the opinions of his former teacher.[1] Based on his surviving works and opinions, certain tendencies in Abu Yusuf's reasoning have been determined, such as his tendency to logically follow the implications of a proposition to an absurd conclusion (Reductio ad absurdum) and his use of rather caustic language in his attacks on opponents' positions and in defense of his own.[1] Abu Yusuf is also noted for the frequency in which he changed positions on various issues, which has been suggested is a result of his experience as a judge.[1] Abu Yusuf's greatest legacy is in affirming and advancing the Hanafi legal school as the predominant source of legal thought in the Islamic empire and providing a legal framework for defining and restricting caliphal authority in regard to fiscal policy.

Reference
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Yusuf

Is ISIS just a hype?

I believe so and will disappear eventually, sooner I hope.

Just because they are making headlines in the world today, doesn’t mean that they are significant or what they are doing is important. Islamic caliphates come and go. They are never sustainable and impractical for governing.

This article that I’m currently reading has correctly pointed out why the ISIS will never be able to take over any of the land it promised nor will it be able to form a caliphate/empire not in Iraq and not anywhere else in the world.

Reference
[1] http://pando.com/2014/07/14/i-s-i-s-and-the-western-media-groping-each-other-in-public-like-a-kardashian-thanksgiving/

The Sunni love triangle

The love triangle between the ISIS (Islamic State) jihadist and Saddam’s ex-Bathists and with the Arab Iraqi Sunni will not last very long. All of the groups mentioned above have a very contradictory ideology and aspiration.

ISIS Jihadist is made up of mainly foreign fighters, indoctrinated with hard-core Wahabi ideology who wishes to establish a fantasy caliphate stretching from east to the west using extreme military force.

The ex-Bathists are a bunch of secular socialists who has preferred Saddam’s dictatorship in the past and don’t really have a strong religious inclination (most of them are atheist anyway). Ex-Bathists want to destabilize the current government and by doing so, they hope to gain back most of the political and military powers which was lost in the second gulf war.

The Iraqi Arab Sunnis who don’t at all share the ISIS interpretation of Islam wants to preserve wealth, power, and the way of life which has further deteriorate under Maliki government.

Apart from the clear differences in ideologies among these groups, Iraqis are also very proud people. They would never listen to this fake caliph or submit to his foreign fighters. ISIS also doesn't believe in power sharing. They have their own religious-politico hierarchy.

This love relationship will probably not last very long.

Interesting new article about Sistani fatwa

What Do You Know About Sistani's Fatwa?

What’s going on in Iraq

Sometimes reading Iraq related news from the schools of western journalism can be very frustrating, especially when they are not telling you anything new, news-worthy or even interesting. Yesterday, I was reading a news site that stated ‘The Kurds have moved into the Northern Iraqi cities to safe guard their interest in Iraq’. This is old story Mr/Ms journalist. Kurds secured their interest weeks ago. You are not reporting anything new here.

The Iraqi government bombed some of the ISIS targets and claimed some sort victory. I don’t know how successful the Iraqis will be fighting against the ISIS in the short term via air raid only. Does air power really works considering the apostates of ISIS (Islamic state) are hiding among the Sunnis who are not yet ready to rid them off until the central government of al-Maliki resigned? This is a delicate situation. While you really need to remove the terrorists who are hiding among the Sunnis, you still wanna make sure that not too many Sunnis become casualties of war or collateral damage because we don’t want everyone to be inflamed further. Iraq cannot continue to be in a war-like state indefinitely. Only terrorists win by making the whole country instable.

I hope the monkeys from the ISIS are reading the news especially what the leader of the Sunni Arab tribes said a few days ago. The ISIS/ISIL is useful to their agenda but once/if Maliki met their demand, they (the Iraqi Sunnis) are going to slaughter the ISIS fighters like dogs.

What’s going on with the Shiite? Some of the Shiite still felt betrayal from al-Maliki and are still mad and bitter at him for reigning in their new found freedom. Maliki has also fought with some of their leaders who were a little bit more extreme. Now, Maliki needs their help to fight the ex-Baathists and the Jihadist Sunnis. I think this new threat of terrorism from ISIS has brought the Shiite closer together. They have far more important things to worry about …the murderers that are coming after them and their family and the politicians who either don’t care enough or are not competent enough to stop the terrorists.

Going back to the Kurds, I think they are watching the ISIS closely and waiting for something to happen before doing anything? Most of the Kurds don’t think they belong in a unified Iraq under a strong central government but are they waiting until most of Baghdad razes to ground so they can have a stronger claim to their statehood? But what if Maliki gets all the support he needs and manages to demolish or pushes the ISIS terrorist out of Iraq? Wouldn’t Maliki and for that matter the Shias of Iraq become angry with this clear show of unfaithfulness coming from the Kurds and the Arab Sunnis?

Sistani, Iraqi Sunnis and How to Govern?

Sistani has emerged recently and communicate with his spokesperson numerous times last month and this month. Sistani has said that the time has come for all Iraqis to defend the country, the ISIS rebels are apostate and it is permissible to fight them to death and the politics in Iraq must now move forward to form a stable and a respected government. Whenever Sistani says something, his friends and also his opponents/enemies tend to twist and interpret his messages/fatwas in a way that is most favorable to them and their causes. At the end of the day, you don’t actually hear what Sistani said, just what people think he’s thinking via his fatwa. I was a little bit surprised when I read the Friday sermon from his representative. I was under the impression that Sistani was badly burned in the political process, was done with it and want nothing to do with it. But it seems that this time something is very different.

Everyone is saying that the situation in Iraq has reached a critical stage. I don’t think so. Iraq has always been that way throughout the ages. There’s something seriously wrong with that country and you can’t even reasonably explain why.

The Iraqi Arab Sunnis are still using delay tactics when confronted with the extremist jihadist (ISIS); in order to score some political points in the post-Saddam Iraq.

Some Sunnis are slowly realizing that their future doesn’t really lies with the ISIS. Some have expressed clear intent in supporting the government if al-Maliki just goes away. I don’t really understand how democracy is supposed to work in Sunnis favor considering that the population of the non-Shiite Arab is just 15%; they don’t really have much leverage number-wise. Any prolong fight in Iraq will just benefit the Shiite more than anyone else because they are the only one who have strengths in numbers more than anyone else currently.

The city of Samarra is a little bit explosive right now. The ISIS terrorist seems to want to destroy the tomb and the mosque of the two of the Shia Imams (this site is very holy and dear to Shia world-wide). The site is well-guarded right now but it has been destroyed before by the Sunni extremists.

The other news of the day is that the Sunnis are again suggesting that they are probably better off with a slice of Iraq (a semi-autonomous region just like what the Kurd is having right now). I think it’s silly to be splitting the country in smaller regions and factions on the sectarian (Shia or Sunna) basis or race (Arab or Kurd) among the folks who already hate each other and will continue to do so many years in the future just because everyone is not getting what they really want today?

References
[1] http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/06/29/uk-iraq-security-clerics-insight-idUKKBN0F30KZ20140629
[2] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-07/sunni-tribes-to-fight-on-until-iraq-s-maliki-goes-leader-says.html
[3] http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-07-07/sunni-tribes-to-fight-on-until-iraq-s-maliki-goes-leader-says

Tough Choices ahead for the Iraqi Arab Sunnis

The semi-traitorous Iraqi Arab Sunnis has two tough choices ahead. Now that they don’t have their favorite dictator running the show in Iraq, should they put their trust and future in the hands of the imbecile foreign Jihadist from the ISIS/ISIL or to their still semi-functional but deeply incompetent government of al-Maliki?

I’m reading news today that the Sunnis are having second thoughts about their initial enthusiasm and show of support for the ISIS terrorist.

The Sunni Muslims in Iraq who welcomed the militant group in early June. They all share the goal of overthrowing Iraq's Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his sectarian rule, but the more secular parts of the Sunni coalition didn't sign up for an Islamic state.

"By announcing the caliphate, they are picking a fight with everybody," says David Kilcullen, a guerrilla warfare expert and former chief counter-terrorism strategist for the U.S. State Department.

"No, no, there is nothing like that in Mosul," insists a former Iraqi military officer when reached by phone. He dismisses the caliphate with a snort, because, he says, "the other groups object." The former officer says he fears retribution from the Maliki government and didn't want his name published. He says he is part of the Sunni alliance in Mosul that originally welcomed the Islamic State. Now, he has some doubts. "We will soon name one of our people to be the boss in Mosul," he says. "There is no caliphate here."

The self-declared caliphate had immediate detractors. Rival groups fighting in Syria were the first to speak against the caliphate. IS has already hijacked the Syrian revolt, turning a citizen's rebellion into a terrorist war.

"In Iraq, 99 percent of the Sunni Arabs don't want to live under a caliphate," says Ali Khedery. "Iraqis like to drink, dance, and smoke. They don't want to be ruled by Chechens and Afghans and live under 7th-century standards,"

I think it’s wise of the Iraqi Sunnis to wise up. Iraq has a rich diversity, cultural, historical, social and scientific tradition that is very unique to the Iraqi. While everyone always assume Iraq is a Shia Holy Land but Iraq is also the birthplace and learning center of Sunnism and many other Islamic sects. This is the place where people were actually promoting the thinking of Islam and not merely parroting what they heard someone else said who heard from someone else who probably didn’t hear from anyone. Can the Sunnis of Iraq support the barbaric mentality of the ISIS foreigners who would destroy Iraq’s culture heritage and society if/when they come to power? Just because someone claims to share your religion, should we be stupid enough to assume that they also have your best interest at heart?

Maliki, Iraq’s prime minister, has not been very successful at countering the rebels. He blamed his failure on the sectarian nature of the Iraqi society and some of the neighboring countries for supporting the rebels. I think it’s tough to be in al-Maliki shoes. He’s supposed to make diplomacy work in a crazy country like Iraq ….

Reference
[1] http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2014/07/03/328145985/have-the-islamist-militants-overreached-in-iraq-and-syria

Silly Girls Joining the Jihadist Movement

I’ve been reading a lot of news lately about western Muslim/converts girls joining/planning to join the rebels/jihadist in Syria. These girls have been inspired by books/images/videos/audios that are calling worldwide Muslim to join what they term as a ‘holy war’. When you read report of the incident, you always find that these youths are never interested in doing anything useful/uplifting for the community that they are living in. It is always some aspiration to kill people or bring significant damage to the society because either a score needs to be settled or an example needs to be made.

Today, they arrested a young Muslim convert girl who wanted to join the Syrian Jihadist.

DENVER - The FBI says a 19-year-old Colorado woman has been arrested while trying to board a flight at Denver International Airport with the goal of meeting with a terrorist group called the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS.

A federal criminal complaint states that between Sept. 7, 2013 and April 8, 2014, Shannon Maureen Conley, together with others, tried to provide material support and resources, including personnel and expert advice, to a foreign terrorist organization.

Conley, a Muslim convert, was arrested April 8 at DIA after telling FBI agents she was traveling to Syria to use her American military training from the U.S. Army Explorers to aid Islamic militants waging jihad -- or holy war -- even though she knew that it was illegal, according to federal court records released Wednesday.

She said "legitimate targets of attack" included U.S. military bases, government employees and public officials, the documents say.

The brainwashing seems to be very strong in this case. Even when she was asked if she wished to do some humanitarian work, she declined.

The agents repeatedly asked Conley if she'd consider helping Muslims by doing humanitarian work, like using her nursing skills with the Red Crescent Society.

"Conley stated she has no interest in doing humanitarian work. Conley felt that Jihad is the only answer to correct the wrongs against the Muslim world. Conley said she preferred to wage Jihad overseas so she could be with Jihadist fighters," the affidavit said.

And then we found out that there’s also a secret online boyfriend that might have influenced her decision:

Conley and her parents told FBI agents that she planned to travel to the Middle East to meet her "suitor," a 32-year-old Tunisian man who is an ISIS fighter in Syria. The teen said a one-way airline ticket had already been purchased for her

The father said he found Shannon talking with her Tunisian suitor on Skype. At the time, Shannon and the man asked John Conley for his "blessing" for them to marry and for her to travel to Syria to marry the man as soon as possible.

The father told the FBI he denied both requests and Shannon and the man appeared surprised.

This seems to be very typical of the converts. Not having a solid foundation of Islam, they are grasping at anything and everything people are telling them.

"Conley explained to her father she felt conflicted with what she thought Islam required of her. Conley believed she, as a Muslim, needed to marry young and be confrontational in her support of Islam. She conceded her knowledge of Islam was based solely on her own research that she conducted on the Internet," the affidavit said.

Last year, we read this news about two young teenagers who also disappeared in Turkey and reappeared with the Syrian Jihadist.

The father of two Norwegian sisters who said they were leaving to wage jihad in Syria has told the Telegraph of his heartbreak as his daughters have now "been seen" with the rebels.

As he learned of the their plan, the father rushed to the Turkish border with Syria, hoping to catch his daughters, aged 16 and 19 and of Somali origin, before they crossed into the war-torn country.

The family first heard of the two sisters’ intentions one week ago via email, which said: “Muslims are currently under attack from all fronts and something needs to be done. We want to help the Muslims, and the only way to do so is to be with them in their pains and their joy.”

For years this moderate Muslim family lived a calm life in Norway. The girls were both students and seemed happy, he said.

However, in recent months the older sister had become more conservative in her practicing of Islam. She reportedly started to wear a full black niqab, covering her head, body and face in public.

Some local activists in Syria said they feared the girls may have come into online contact with some of the foreign jihadists now fighting in Syria, and been lured by them to “join the jihad”.

“This has happened many times before,” said Ahmed, one local activist in touch with foreign fighters who have come to fight for al-Qaeda in Syria.

“A woman would not be allowed to fight on the front line; for a women they interpret jihad to mean they must cook and clean, and sometimes have intercourse with the fighters”.

References
[1] http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/19-year-old-colorado-woman-shannon-maureen-conley-charged-with-aiding-terrorist-group-fbi-says07022014

[2] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10406351/A-fathers-heartbreak-as-his-daughters-leave-Norway-to-join-jihad-in-Syria.html

The month of Ramadhan 2014

The month of Ramadhan has started. Muslims are fasting which means they have to abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk. They also have to abstain from being evil (don’t lie, don’t harm anyone, don’t do anything malicious) and promote spiritual activities that can bolster your Iman (or to bring you closer to the God) such as increasing the reading of the Quran or perform more supplementary prayers.

Because the nature of fasting is very personal (it’s between you and your God), it’s almost impossible for this ritual to be politicize … until I read this news today.

BEIJING , July 2 (UPI) --China has restricted the practice of fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in its western Xinjiang region
Several government agencies have banned their Muslim staff members from the fast accompanying Ramadan, a worldwide observance which began Saturday. An agency website noted its civil servants cannot "take part in fasting and other religious activities."

The website of Bozhou Radio and TV University in Shenzhen said party members, teachers and young people, a reference to students, were subject to the ban.

Bad China! Don’t they know that this is how most people are radicalized … when the government interferes and oppressed even in the most basic human rights ... the freedom to privately believe and worship god.