SAVE THE WEST

RESPONSE TO CLIFF MAY REGARDING SOMALIA AND ETHIOPIA

2006-12-27T16:50:00.000-05:00

Mr. May:

You asked in National Review's The Corner, on Monday, why American forces are not as successful as the Ethiopians in defeating the Somalian jihadists.
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=Yzg2NmMyZmJkNWY0OGVlMTdhM2IyMmQ5MzY1YTZmZDg=

Here are the Reasons Why the Ethiopians are Doing Better than We Are:

1) NATURE OF THE WAR ITSELF-- We are fighting an asymmetrical war (i.e., suicide bombings) against insurgents in Iraq that are also simultaneously engaging one another in sectarian conflict. The Ethiopians are fighting a conventional war against classical imperialist jihadist tactics.

2) THE BATTLEFIELD/TERRAIN--The Ethiopians appear to be fighting their conventional war on more open, flat terrain, on the borders between the two countries, where air power is being used to their advantage. In Iraq, we are bogged down in cities (remember the German defeat in Stalingrad). When we fought in Somalia, with a very small force, we were also bogged down in Mogadishu facing asymmetrical tactics.

3) EFFECTIVE USE OF ALLY NATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS--Because of the location of Somalia, there is much less room for interference from the powerful Arab oil nations (i.e., Saudi Arabia and Iran) and established terrorist organizations (i.e., Hezbollah) than there is in Iraq. For example, because Iran and Syria are right next door to Iraq, they are able to supply the Shiites in their insurgency against the USA and in their sectarian conflict with the Sunnis. However, the West can overtly (i.e., training and weapons) and covertly (i.e., satellite support) assist the Ethiopians.

4) USE OF TECHNOLOGY-- More "boots on the ground" is not part of the explanation. Even 1,000,000 United States troops could not subdue the Iraq insurgency. However, the United States could better use the people it has on the ground by making them part of a gigantic, technological surveillance apparatus (cameras, satellites, etc. to see every part of the road, electronically tagging and identifying people, etc.). Also, the USA has fought the war on the cheap, spending more money to rebuild Iraq than to protect those Americans serving there (i.e., with armor under the Humvees). We are not using our own technology to our advantage while the Ethiopians are (i.e., bombimg).

5) MORALE AND RESOLVE V. CONCERNS OVER INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMACY-- Concern over winning the Arab street is another part of the equation. The Ethiopians are fighting for their lives, their families (not seeking to have their women and children captured and enslaved), their homes, possessions, and, OPENLY, for THEIR GOD, against a classical low-tech jihadist assault. They have neither the time nor the need to worry about how the rest of the world perceives them. Unlike the USA, Ethiopia is not the sole superpower and does not feel doubt, guilt, and self-loathing, nor is Ethiopia a lightning rod for the condemnation of the world.

6) USE OF "PARTISANS"/LOCAL, NATIVE INHABITANTS-- Ethiopia is receiving the open support of the Western-backed government of Somalia, its army, and many of the Somali people who do not want to have the Sharia Courts rule over them and who have never grown accustomed to living in a fundamentalist Islamic State. They are partisans actively aiding the Ethiopians. US forces in Iraq, labeled "crusaders" and occupiers by virtually all the people of Iraq do not have a large segment of the Iraqi population which they can count on for partisan support. Both sides at best manipulate the United States to promote sectarian goals, and, at worst, actively seek to destroy it. Their Arab identity is too great an obstacle to permit any meaningful cooperation with the USA.

SOLUTION:

A) TOTAL WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN--The USA must immediately and completely withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan to divide its enemies, and cause them to turn on one another.

B) RE-DEFINE THE ENEMY AND DECLARE WAR--Re-define and declare war on its enemy of "global Islamic Jihad" as opposed to "Terror" (which term confuses everyone, defines the conflict in asymmetrical terms, and guarantees that the West will not defeat the real AND DEFEATABLE enemy). We can win the war against global jihad as this jihad is overtly and covertly supported by definable nations and governments (i.e., Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sudan, etc. and well-entrenched organizations including Hezbollah, Hamas, Fatah/PLO, the Muslim Brotherhood, etal.).

C- MASTER THE TACTICS OF THE ENEMY--Terror, (i.e., terrorist attacks) is the weakest tactics of the global Islamic insurgency. The most effective tactics of the enemy are: 1) demographic conquest and exertion of control over the Muslim diaspora; 2) use and bribery of academics and business interests; 3) manipulation of the media; 4) Da'wa (campaign of seeking conversions); 5) reliance as a 5th column on western democratic institutions/law/rhetoric of rights.

D- LEARN EVERYTHING THAT CAN BE LEARNED ABOUT THE ENEMY--The West must study the history of the enemy's conflict with the outside world, the foundational texts (religious and otherwise) which form the "myths" that define the enemy, and must understand the nuances and differences between different subsets of the enemy to divide it on every level possible (i.e., national, ethnic, sectarian, gender) and conquer it. Awareness of the successes and defeats of the past is the key to success in the future.

E- ENGAGE AND DEMORALIZE THE ENEMY IN EVERY ARENA IN WHICH IT IS FOUND--This means nationally and internationally, locally and globally, the mosque or Islamic rights organization down the corner as well as those in Paris, London, Tehran, Cairo...

F- REDEFINE THE WEST AND THE CHRISTIAN WORLD--Understand that our civilization and the rights it affords us are worth fighting for.

The Corner on National Review Online

2006-12-13T17:39:00.000-05:00

The Corner on National Review Online

National Review's Rich Lowry argues that the United States should send more troops to Iraq. Unfortunately, as conservatives, we must disagree with Mr. Lowry. The best policy is for the United States to pull out, immediately.

We are 2 conservatives who now believe that invading Iraq was the wrong idea - and that sending more troops would make the situation worse for American troops.

The key is to withdraw. Saudi Arabia and Iran should be allowed to duke it out and American troops should get out of harm's way.

Jan Sobieski says why in his reply to Mr. Lowry's post.

Our goals as "conservatives" should be: 1) to protect the safety of the USA; 2) to advance the economy of the USA; and 3) to protect the values and freedoms of the Constitution within the borders of the USA. And which of those goals is promoted by our being in Iraq? None.

America should pull out of Iraq and let a pan-Arab conflict break out in the way that Sunnis and Shiites have long been praying for. The conflagration is inevitable and desired on both sides. Would we rather have Jihadists fight on the shores of Miami Beach or Tripoli? Would we rather see jihadists in the Gulf of Mexico or Persian Gulf?

We will spend at least 1 trillion dollars on Iraq, a failed state, before it is over, with nothing to show for it. We will be less secure than ever as more people around the world are galvanized against us. We are the military police for corrupt technocrats in Saudi Arabia and Jordan while also doing the heavy lifting for the Iranian intellectuals too afraid to confront their government.

Conservatives who argue for more military troops miss the big picture. It is in Amercia's interest that the status quo in the Middle East is destabilized. Isn't that why we invaded Iraq in the first place? Invading Iraq, in retrospect, was a mistake but there is a golden opportunity to take advantage of in today's chaotic state. The United States should desire to see Saudi Arabia and Iran fight each other.

Both of these depraved nations, Saudi Arabia and Iran, desire the vulnerable Iraqi oil. They don't trust each other and wouldn't let the other one try to gain a "petrol advantage".

A pan-Arabic conflict would the ultimate rallying cry for jihadists around the world. The focus would be taken off North America, Western Europe and industrialized Asia.

Jihadists fear, hate and mistrust each other more than they hate the infidel Europeans or satanic Americans. Sunnis and Shiites both see themselves as the rightful heirs of Muhammad's message and see the other sects as heretics.

Oil prices would come down in America's favor. A nervous Saudi Arabia and a threatened Iran would have to slash oil prices in order to fund their apocalyptic battle for control of the Middle East. Withdrawing from Iraq would not only save the lives of American troops but turn out to be a political boon. As long as we protect Israel, we have nothing to fear from the despotic regimes run by Wahhabis and Shiite fanatics relentlessly killing each other.

Recent widely available news stories report that the Saudis have already begun to arm themselves to support the Sunnis while the Iranians (those threatening to enrich uranium) will undoubtedly support the Shiites when the United States withdraws from Iraq. To boot, reports are that the Saudis will even lower their oil prices to squeeze the Iranians (whose oil reserves are smaller) during the conflict that ensues. And this destabilization of the region is a problem? And what will Syria do? With its secular-leaning Baathist Alawite government, representing 10% of its population, Syria might join either side or no side. Either way, this will be a great diversion from all of them uniting against the "great Satan," that is the United States ("Us").

What does our presence in Iraq do? Well, among many terrible things our presence does, like that of the Christian Crusaders in the Holy Land during the 12th Century, it gives them all a reason to join together against us. Remember that during the 12th Century, the famed leader Saladdin, a Kurd, united much of the Muslim world to take and hold Jerusalem. No way, let's be Machiavellian for once. Let's get out of Iraq and let our enemies go toe to toe and draw themselves into a conflict that may just force them to re-examine who they are, what they believe, and how they treat one another.

What is the real enemy that threatens the USA? It is the global Islamic resurgence that has taken place during the past 50 years, including within this country. Were it not for that resurgence, 19 young Muslim men would not have hijacked the planes on 9/11, nearly crippling our economy and causing us to lose sleep forever. Were it not for the resurgence, we would not see American interests around the globe threatened.

II.

So, instead of playing this silly game of Western brinksmanship in Iraq, why don't we redefine our enemy by understanding what moves him? How can we address any problem without understanding its causes? Well, we begin to understand the problem by an examination of the critical tenets of Islam and of the differences between the Sunnis and Shiites, Baathists and Wahabists, Alawites and Kurds, the list goes on and on...

Very quickly, we learn that what fueled the 911 hijackers, and the Taliban (then and now), and the strife in countries including Indonesia, Thailand, the Phillipines, Azerbaijan, Russia and so many others is the same brand of Sunni Wahabism exported around the world (including to this country) by our dearest allies, the Saudis. Yes, these same Saudis, ruled by a royal family that has caused the country to be enshrined not with a secular constitution, but with Sharia law, are our dearest friends and allies.

Until the enemy and harm sought to be avoided is properly defined, there can be no victory of any sort for the United States. If the enemy of the USA is destabilization of the Middle East or a humanitarian disaster or a civil war which threatens our allies, then we must admit that we no longer hold conservative values. We are merely liberal, humanist, globalist world policemen of the worst kind.

Worse than that, our remaining in Iraq will promote the very harms that you seek to prevent. The presence of the USA merely draws more jihadists than would already be there, and offers a scapegoat for those who refuse to look to failed Middle Eastern societies and, perhaps, to the affect of Islam upon societies in which Muslims make up a majority. No, it is too easy to blame us for their problems.

The Saudi Royal family regularly permits the stoning of adulterers, the murder of homosexuals, and amputations and floggings for criminals. What don't they permit? Freedom to worship and to build churches. Now, how about Hezbollah and the threats to Lebanon and Israel (the only nation in the Middle East in which women and men have the same legal status)? Hezbollah is supported by Shiite Iranians, and the Shiites and Sunnis are duking it out in Iraq now (and in numerous locations throughout the past 14-centuries), in part, over a dispute regarding the line of Islamic caliphs that began in the 7th century. Who doesn't know this? Bush, Rumsfeld, Rice, Gates, Reyes, McCaine, and most of the United States Congress and the Pentagon.

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Move Over, Hoover - washingtonpost.com

2006-12-03T13:57:00.000-05:00

The so-called "historian", Douglas Brinkley betrays his political bias. Bush will be remembered as another Woodrow Wilson - a hopeless ideologue in a time of great transition while Bill Clinton will be judged as a selfish politician who'd rather hit up the Saudis for contributions to his presidential library than asking them to arrest the suspects in the Khobar towers bombing. Something to keep in mind.

Move Over, Hoover - washingtonpost.com

RESPONSE TO JONAH GOLDBERG'S "IRAQ WAS A WORTHY MISTAKE"

2006-10-30T16:02:00.000-05:00

Jonah Goldberg on Iraq on National Review Online

Jonah Goldberg wrote in National Review Online that "Iraq was a worthy mistake".

Jan Sobieski weighs in with a response...

JONAH GOLDBERG: Truth is truth. And the Iraq war was a mistake by the most obvious criteria: If we had known then what we know now, we would never have gone to war with Iraq in 2003. I do think that Congress (including Democrats Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Jay Rockefeller, and John Murtha) was right to vote for the war given what was known — or what was believed to have been known — in 2003. And the claims from Democrats who voted for the war that they were lied to strikes me as nothing more than cowardly buck-passing.

Jonah Goldberg's article, "Iraq Was a Worthy Mistake" is moot and irrelevant. Only Reason can save America now.

While American liberals don't understand nor appreciate the threat posed to the United States by Jihad, American conservatives have been led to a dead-end by the Bush administration's foolhardy policies in Iraq.

Mr. Goldberg, admirably, realizes that the Iraq War was a mistake but he fails to acknowledge the principle reason why the Bush administration was doomed to fail.

Goldberg's article does not mention the Sunni-Shia conflicts that made a Coalition effort in 'exporting democracy' to Iraq an impossible effort. It is because of the nature of Islam, with all of its internecine quarrels, that the United States had no chance of creating a Western-style democracy for Muslims who have been taught to hold bigoted views of infidels.

Instead of shying away from its own duty to the taxpayers (who are too busy working an honest day to have time to spend hours upon hours reading up on, i.e., history, culture, and ideas) and instead of relying on the advice of a few biased or bought "experts," Washington must undertake an unvarnished study of Middle Eastern history, and, most importantly, the tenets, tradition, and sources of knowledge of Islam relied upon by imams and rank and file Muslims around the world. Otherwise, it will continue to think and act in a vacuum regarding Middle East and world policy.

As I have written before in other spaces: WMD or reconstruction miscalculations are not the great intelligence failures of Washington. Washington's great error has been its inability to see the world in any way other than under the aegis of typical, Western-style, global brinkmanship that perenially focuses on the governing entities and ruling elites of enemy, ally, or neutral nations. For, it is this policy that, among other ignominies, has led us to embrace the government/ruling elites of Saudi Arabia (a nation that does not permit tourism or the open worship of Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc) as a dear ally.

To quote the title of the late Orianna Fallaci's most recently published book, Washington has failed to pay any attention to "The Force of Reason." To avail one's self of reason, however, one must study to attain knowledge and learn how to think critically about events, concepts, friends and enemies, the media, and, most importantly, the manner in which (mass) dissemination of ideas or "myth" can lead to the transformation of socio-cultural/religious ideals into something new, or back into something old.

Alas, were Washington to use its own lost faculties of "reason" it might, in fact, discover the true causes of the problem and the solutions thereto. The Islamic world is not being fired up by a handful of or even by a few thousand members of Al Qaeda, by one rogue Middle East government such as that of Iran's Ahmadinejad, by Western or U.S. intervention in the Middle East, or by some latent post-colonial byproduct of nefarious "Western imperialism."

The Islamic world (which extends beyond the Middle East into countries including but not limited to the Sudan, Somalia, Indonesia,and Afghanistan) is ablaze with traditional incarnations of Islam. However, many in the West and in the U.S. government will not even have the foggiest idea what traditional Islam is, or which foundational texts i.e., the Quran, and Hadith and which schools of thought, i.e., the Maliki School of thought provide the rank and file with "transcendent" and ontological values to affect their perception of themselves and of outsiders.

Mr. Goldberg, please answer the following primary question and subquestions, since you're playing Monday Morning quarterback about what went wrong in Iraq or with conservatives, liberals, or George Bush.

The primary question that America and the West is asking is, "WHY DO THEY APPARENTLY HATE US?" The subquestions are:

A) What is the nature of the cultural transformation that has taken place in less than a quarter of a century in the Islamic world?

B) How and through what means (i.e., media, mosque) has this transformation occured?

C) What drives or funds this transformation?

D) What are the traditional Muslim values regarding the way they live their lives, Sharia law, and regarding the West, outsiders and infidels in general?

E) What do the foundational Islamic texts and renound interpretations thereof tell us about Islamic values and the nature of Jihad?

F) What is the history (including but not limited to imperialism, the Ottoman Empire, colonialism, and the great battles) of the conflict between the West and Islam?

G) What are winning and losing past and present strategies of each side?

H) Who are our friends and who are our enemies?

Liberals refuse to face the threat posed by Jihad to Western (and especially American) interests in too many nations around the world. But, conservatives who want to engage the jihadists have been led astray by President Bush and his advisors who demonstrated a stunning lack of knowledge about the true nature of Islam.

ASRA Q. NOMANI DISCUSSES THE VIOLENT PREACHINGS OF ISLAM

2006-10-22T02:58:00.000-04:00

Asra Q. Nomani discusses how the Quran preaches men to act violently toward their wives. She bemoans the "dance" that imams do when they try to minimize what levels of violence are tolerated.

However, Asra Q. Nomani does her own dance. She neglected to mention that Muhammad was violent towards women. He had a poetess, ASMA BINT MARWAN, killed because she wrote a poem critical of him. He consummated his marriage with AISHA when she was only 9 years old. He took the Jewish girl SAFIYA, 17 years old, for a sex slave after he killed her husband, KINANA.

Paul Fregosi's excellent book, JIHAD IN THE WEST, vividly described the death of Asma Bint Marwan. (Muhammad was no supporter of the right to free speech).

"Back in Medina, thanks to his victory, Muhammad's position was now unchallengable, and he decided the time had now arrived to settle a few old scores with those who had opposed his arrival. High on the list was the poetess Asma bint Marwan. Muhammad could not tolerate criticism, particularly from writers. Poetry was the most widespread and respected form of artistic expression among the Arabs, and Asma was to become his first local victim. She had spoken and written most disparagingly of the Prophet, whom she regarded with deep suspicion, and in memorable verse, had called upon her fellow citizens to throw him out.
[...]
Asma's words carried. They were repeated all round the suks and alleys of Medina in whispers and made the Prophet very angry. He had no intention of being the gull with its hopes cut off. For Asma bint Marwan, her poem was her death sentence. A killer stabbed her so hard while she slept that, with his dagger, he nailed her to the couch. She was not his only literary victim. Another poet, the centenarian Abu Afak, was similarly dispatched in his sleep. Thus did Muhammad set about securing Medina for Islam."

Clothes Aren't the Issue - washingtonpost.com

HUGE BEIRUT CROWD COME OUT IN SUPPORT FOR SHEIKH HASSAN NASRALLAH, HEZBALLAH'S CHIEF

2006-09-23T01:06:00.000-04:00

Hezbollah supporters wave a poster showing U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with Arabic writing reading 'Don't play with fire, the Shiites would burn you...'

NYTimes:

If there was any thought the war weakened Hezbollah, Sheik Nasrallah had a different message: “It is stronger.” Even after Israel’s 34-day bombardment of Lebanon, Hezbollah, he said, still has more than 20,000 missiles. “Not a single army in the world will be able to dismantle our resistance,” Sheik Nasrallah said, as he stood beneath a big banner that read “The Victory Rally.” “No army in the world will be able to make us drop the weapons from our hands.”

The crowd was mammoth, packing every corner of the 37-acre square in the southern suburbs of Beirut. There was a plastic chair for nearly everyone, and a baseball cap for protection from the sun. Hezbollah’s martial choir belted out chest thumping music. The crowds waved flags, wildly cheering for Sheik Nasrallah, who has become a folk hero to many here and throughout the Arab world. The audience came on foot, by car and by bus from the south and the north, and in every case, people said they came because Sheik Nasrallah asked them to.

“Whatever Sayid Hassan wants Sayid Hassan gets,” said Hossain Zebara, 29, using a title reserved for descendants of the prophet Muhammad. Mr. Zebara said it took him 24 hours to walk from his home in the southern part of Lebanon to be at the rally. “We came to show the American administration, the British administration, the French administration, that the resistance population is increasing, not decreasing.”
[...]
But the rally also highlighted some of the deep divisions among Lebanon’s different factions, as the crowd at times chanted slogans calling the Druse leader, Walid Jumblatt, a “worm” and “Jew” and calling for the prime minister to leave office.

Hezbollah supporters wave a poster showing U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with Arabic writing reading 'Don't play with fire, the Shiites would burn you...'

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, center, surrounded by bodyguards delivers a speech to his supporters during a Hezbollah 'Victory over Israel' rally

A Spanish U.N. peacekeeper shakes the hand of a Lebanese Hezbollah supporter wearing a yellow T-shirt and carrying a Hezbollah flag as he marches in the southern village of Kfar Kila, Lebanon, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2006, on his way to attend the massive victory rally that will take place in Beirut Friday afternoon. Hundreds of Hezbollah supporters from across southern Lebanon began marching on foot toward Beirut for a major rally planned Friday to showcase the group's insistence it won't disarm. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos) Email Photo Print Photo

NYTIMES SAYS MORE MUSLIM IMMIGRANTS ARE OKAY BECAUSE THEY DON'T LIKE BUSH

2006-09-10T15:00:00.000-04:00

More Muslims Arrive in U.S., After 9/11 Dip - New York Times

NYTimes paints a rosy, Norman Rockwell-esque portrait of the growing number of Muslim immigrants in the United States.

But five years later, as the United States wrestles with questions of terrorism, civil liberties and immigration control, Muslims appear to be moving here again in surprising numbers, according to statistics collected by the Department of Homeland Security and the Census Bureau.

Immigrants from predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia are planting new roots in states from Virginia to Texas to California.

In 2005, more people from Muslim countries became legal permanent United States residents — nearly 96,000 — than in any year in the previous two decades.

More than 40,000 of them were admitted last year, the highest annual number since the terrorist attacks, according to data on 22 countries provided by the Department of Homeland Security.

Many have made the journey unbowed by tales of immigrant hardship, and despite their own opposition to American policy in the Middle East. They come seeking the same promise that has drawn foreigners to the United States for many decades, according to a range of experts and immigrants: economic opportunity and political freedom.

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Michelle Malkin remembers American Airlines Flight 77 and other airlines and victims lost on that horrible day.

NYTIMES: U.S. UNIVERSITIES COMPETE FOR SAUDI STUDENTS

2006-09-09T03:36:00.000-04:00

ON THE WEEKEND AMERICA SADLY COMMEMORATES THE 5-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11, WORD COMES THAT 15,000 SAUDI STUDENTS WILL BE STUDYING AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES THIS YEAR AS PART OF A PROGRAM PAID FOR BY THE SAUDI ROYAL FAMILY

U.S. Schools Compete for Saudi Students - New York Times

What is going on with the White House?? Do you think the Saudi government is choosing the most secular of students or those Wahabbi influenced acolytes who will be given priceless training by the gullible, easily bribed Americans?

How come Americans can't study and practice their religion in Saudi Arabia? Americans and other foreigners working in Saudi Arabia are walled off from the local population.

Thousands of students from Saudi Arabia are enrolling on college campuses across the United States this semester under a new educational exchange program brokered by President Bush and Saudi King Abdullah.

The program will quintuple the number of Saudi students and scholars here by the academic year's end. And big, public universities from Florida to the Kansas plains are in a fierce competition for their tuition dollars.

The kingdom's royal family -- which is paying full scholarships for most of the 15,000 students -- says the program will help stem unrest at home by schooling the country's brightest in the American tradition. The U.S. State Department sees the exchange as a way to build ties with future Saudi leaders and young scholars at a time of unsteady relations with the Muslim world.

But, gullible Americans will do anything for a buck...

Administrators at Kansas State University, an agricultural school surrounded by miles of prairie grass, say the scholarships are a bonanza for public education.

''The Saudi scholarship program has definitely heightened our interest in that part of the world,'' said Kenneth Holland, associate provost for international programs. ''Not only are the students fully funded, but they're also paying out-of-state tuition.''

Despite the fact that Saudi Arabia is tacitly supporting our country's troops who are in harm's way, we are now teaching the elite sons and daughters of the royal Arabian kingdom

By January, U.S. government officials say the program will expand to 15,000 students, which means Saudi Arabia will send more foreign students to the U.S. than Mexico or Turkey. As funding for the scholarship program expands, those numbers are likely to grow.

But, this is all about "understanding" you see. The same sort of "understanding" that led us to allow 15 of the 9/11 hijackers into the United States so we could teach them how to fly airplanes into our buildings.

''This is a critically important bilateral relationship,'' said Tom Farrell, a deputy assistant secretary for academic programs at the State Department. ''It's an opportunity to increase understanding of Saudi Arabia for the United States and of the United States for Saudi Arabia.''

Don't forget, it is illegal to bring a bible into Saudi Arabia but we will make sure that the Saudi students are given a properly religious meal...

''We really want to make this special. We're going to truck in halal food from Kansas City,'' Holland said. ''The Saudi government is trying to place the students in a variety of institutions across the country, but where you get the competitive advantage is how you treat the students when they get here.''

But, it's all in good fun, right? Since when does America's generosity come back to us?

But some officials say efforts to fast-track educational diplomacy with Saudi Arabia could use additional scrutiny. Clark Kent Ervin, a former inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security, says the U.S. government has yet to ensure proper safeguards are in place to do effective background checks on all applicants.

This special program for elite Saudi Arabian trust-fund babies SHOULD BE STOPPED NOW.
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Washington Post also runs the story without asking if any of these students harbor sympathies for the 9/11 terrorists
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Discerning voices like Michelle Malkin are talking about the 9/10 mindset.

More Immigration Demonstrations Planned

2006-08-31T14:27:00.000-04:00

Sounds like Democratic politicians will steer clear of the AMNESTY RALLIES that have been counter-productive for liberals and illegal aliens

In the Washington region, activists are distributing leaflets, and Spanish-language radio is buzzing about a Sept. 7 rally that organizers hope will be the biggest yet. Organizers say their goal is 1 million protesters from up and down the East Coast for a rally on the Mall and a march to the White House.
[...]
Organizers will dispatch Spanish-speaking volunteers to Metro stations to direct demonstrators, Rivera told those gathered. And more high-profile speakers will be included -- maybe Jesse L. Jackson and a Catholic cardinal, he said -- but fewer politicians.

CNN.com - Death demanded for Bulgaria nurses - Aug 29, 2006

2006-08-29T19:43:00.000-04:00

CNN.com - Death demanded for Bulgaria nurses - Aug 29, 2006

TRIPOLI, Libya (Reuters) -- A Libyan prosecutor demanded the death penalty on Tuesday for five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor on trial for infecting more than 400 children with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

"The act was cruel, criminal and inhuman. It's a human catastrophe," prosecutor Omar Abdulkhaleq told the Tripoli court. "We demand the death penalty for the accused."

A previous trial of the six ended with their conviction on charges of intentionally infecting 426 children with HIV when they worked in a hospital in Benghazi in the late 1990s. They were sentenced to death by firing squad.

The supreme court overturned the convictions in December 2005, and ordered a retrial which began in May.

Palestinian doctor Ashraf Alhajouj and Bulgarians Snezhana Dimitrova, Nasya Nenova, Valentina Siropolu, Christiana Valcheva and Valia Cherveniashka pleaded not guilty at both trials and have repeatedly testified that they were tortured to make them confess.

Bulgaria and its allies support the medics' torture claims and global AIDS experts say the outbreak at the Benghazi hospital where they worked began before they arrived.

Around 50 of the HIV-infected children have died, fuelling popular anger in Libya.

Tripoli has suggested the nurses could go free if Bulgaria paid compensation to the children and their families, who have demanded 4.4 billion euros ($5.5 billion).

KYRA PHILLIPS IN BATHROOM GAFFE: SAYS SISTER-IN-LAW IS A "CONTROL FREAK"

2006-08-29T15:47:00.000-04:00

Big Woops.

Hot Air has the scoop.

Today, CNN’s Kyra Phillips got caught, well, with her skirt down. Someone in CNN left her mic open and on the air as she went to the loo in the middle of President Bush’s speech commemorating the Katrina anniversary. So instead of getting the president’s remarks, CNN’s audience got that and Phillips in some girl-chat.
Click to watch/listen.

She said her brother's wife is a "control freak." Woops! Thanksgiving dinner should be interesting.

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Potty break mic snafu: CNN’s Phillips chats in the loo during Bush speech

Turks Knock on Europe’s Door With Evidence That Islam and Capitalism Can Coexist - New York Times

2006-08-29T01:20:00.000-04:00

Turks Knock on Europe’s Door With Evidence That Islam and Capitalism Can Coexist - New York Times

The New York Times bends over backwards trying to explain that an anti-Western religion can thrive in the West.

“In European countries, workers take a 15-minute smoking break; here we take a 15-minute prayer break,” said Ahmet Herdem, the mayor of Hacilar, a town of 20,000 people in central Anatolia, a deeply religious and socially conservative region which has produced some of the best-known Turkish companies. “During this time, you are in front of God, and you can ask him to help improve business and this is good for morale.”

Many Europeans and secular Turks have dismissed this poor, largely agricultural region as the “other” Turkey, a non-European backwater where women in head scarves are more prevalent than businessmen in pinstripes. Islam, they argue, never went through its own Reformation and so is not receptive to capitalism and innovation.

Yet Kayseri and surrounding towns like Hacilar have produced so many successful Muslim entrepreneurs that the area has earned the title of “Anatolian tiger.”

Carpet weavers are being supplanted by textile companies that produce clothing for fashion houses in Paris and Milan, while sheep farmers now share land with giant furniture manufacturers. Companies that have started here include Orta Anadolu, which makes 1 percent of the world’s denim; Boydak Holding, a giant conglomerate that includes a bank, a transport arm and the largest Turkish cable factory; and Istikbal, a furniture company whose yellow and blue label can be found in stores across Turkey.

The region’s mix of Muslim values, hard work and raging capitalism has even prompted sociologists to coin a new term to describe the phenomenon: Calvinist Islam.

As Turkey seeks to join the European Union amid growing skepticism in Europe about the prospect of integrating a large agrarian Muslim country into one of the world’s biggest trading blocs, the case of Kayseri presents one of the strongest arguments that Islam, capitalism and globalization can be compatible.

BBC: Young Turkish boys being ordered by their families to carry out honor killings because they'll get minimum jail sentence

2006-08-29T00:32:00.000-04:00

While the New York Times tries to argue that Islamic Turkey can co-exist with modernization and capitalism, the truth is much different.

A recent case was the murder of Birgul Isik, gunned down by her 14-year-old son Ramazan for apparently bringing shame on her family. She had appeared on a Turkish talk show to discuss her abusive marriage.

She had fled her violent, bigamous husband several times before. Ignored by the authorities and dismissed by her family, she agreed to appear on the Women's Voice show.

But in Turkey, domestic violence is an issue few women would dare to discuss outside the family, let alone on national television. Back in her home town, for many Birgul had crossed the line.

She had just returned to Elazig in eastern Turkey by bus, accompanied by four of her five children after taking part in the programme in Istanbul.

Ramazan was waiting for her at the bus stop. When he saw her, he shouted that she had shamed the family, pulled out a gun and shot her five times.

Birgul died in hospital three weeks later.

Ramazan was placed in a juvenile detention centre and Birgul's four other children in orphanages. Birgul's husband was put on trial for incitement, but was later acquitted.

BBC NEWS | Europe | Turkish boys commit 'honour' crimes

9 Muslim men arrested in New York for multi-million dollar cigarette bootlegging ring that sent money to the Middle East

2006-08-10T01:19:00.000-04:00

BY ALFONSO A. CASTILLO
Newsday Staff Writer

Newsday: Smoking out suspects in cigarette tax scam

DA says cigarette bootlegging ring cost hundreds of millions in lost taxes; cash may have gone to Mideast

Despite the shock value of the dozens of plastic bags filled with cash spread in front of him, Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota said yesterday most of the money made by a group of cigarette bootleggers arrested earlier this week was "disturbingly absent" and may have been sent to the Middle East.

"The profits didn't stay in this country, as far as we know," Suffolk Police Commissioner Richard Dormer said as he and Spota announced the details of the nine-month-long "Operation Smoke Out" at a Hauppauge news conference. Authorities made 171 arrests, including of some foreign-born defendants believed to have shipped much of their haul to Middle Eastern countries. The scam cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars in lost taxes, Spota said.

"We can only surmise what they were using that money for," Dormer said.

Agents seized more than $1.2 million, but Spota said he believed that represented "very, very little" of the money made by the defendants, who he said generated $9 million in profits.

Spota said investigators have discovered "very sophisticated" overseas money orders and wire transfers, including to China and Middle Eastern countries. Other than China, authorities wouldn't identify where the money went, but some defendants came from Jordan and Afghanistan.

Authorities said the case was forwarded to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, which did not return a call for comment.

Nine men pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges of transporting more than 30,000 untaxed cigarettes -- a felony -- and various other charges.

They included Mohamad Koulibaly, 34, of the Bronx, who was held on $2 million cash bail or $4 million bond; Hakamali Alkayed, 31, of the Bronx, who was held without bail; Tamin Nagi, 22, of the Bronx, who was held on $2 million cash bail or $4 million bond; Mohamadou Konate, 32, of Manhattan, who was held on $3 million cash bail or $6 million bond; Mamadu Dajalo, 45, of the Bronx, who was held on $1 million cash bail or $2 million bond; and Modibo Camara, 22, of Harlem, for whom bail information was not available yesterday.

None of them had retained attorneys as of their arraignments. A woman who said she was Konate's fiancee called him a "decent guy" supporting his family. She said undercover agents pressured Konate to continue buying cheap cigarettes for resale.

Also arraigned were brothers Ihab Jaber, 36, Ashraf Liqania, 34, and Iyas Leqyanya, 32, who were charged with running a smuggling operation from their Staten Island home, where they would also print thousands of counterfeit state tax stamps and iron them onto cigarette packs. Their attorney, Norley Castaneda, of Rockville Centre, declined to comment...

Newsday: Smoking out suspects in cigarette tax scam

Taliban Kill a Woman and a Child Seen as Spies

2006-08-10T00:01:00.000-04:00

Taliban Kill a Woman and a Child Seen as Spies
By CARLOTTA GALL, New York Times

KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 9 — Taliban militants killed a woman and her 13-year-old son after accusing them of spying for the government and for foreign troops in southern Afghanistan, the Afghan government said Wednesday.

The woman was shot and her son was hanged by an electrical wire from a tree on Monday in Helmand Province, said a spokesman for the provincial governor, Hajji Mohaiuddin.
[...]
The woman and her son were killed in the village of Dast Mastan, near Musa Qala. Local officials, including the police chief, informed the provincial authorities about the killings, Mr. Mohaiuddin said.

“They were very poor people and they were accused of spying for the government and the foreign troops,” he said. “Definitely it was done by the Taliban.”
[...]
Thomas Collins, a spokesman for the United States-led coalition, said coalition forces had learned from residents of one district in Ghazni Province, south of Kabul, that men suspected of being insurgents knocked on doors and demanded that each family provide a son to join the Taliban.

NATO spokesmen said they had learned of similar cases in southern Afghanistan, where NATO forces are now operating, including a case of insurgents killing a son in a family who refused the gunmen’s orders.

AMERICA'S MISTAKES IN IRAQ

2006-07-22T19:38:00.000-04:00

The Washington Post has an article by Thomas Ricks on the guerrilla warfare in Iraq. Thomas Ricks certainly points out many mistakes but he and many others still have not come up with concrete, extensive examples of what should have been implemented in Iraq

SWITZERLAND: HOME OF JIHADI OPERATION

2006-07-20T11:42:00.000-04:00

Not many people know it but EURABIA is ready to explode because of fundamental problems.

That is because Socialist politicians in Europe have conspired with Muslim jihadists to destroy Western Civilization and are succeeding in their efforts.

The West hates itself and is being hampered by inane political correctness. Muslim jihadists know they because they are the most racist people in the world. Muslim jihadits want to impose Sharia law on docile Europeans. EURABIA is on the rise.

Why must countries like Switzerland (and the United States) sacrifice civil and privacy rights when the easiest (and cheaper) solution is to expel all Muslim immigrants?

An estimated 350,000 Muslims live in Switzerland, constituting about 5 percent of the population. Swiss officials said they have done a better job integrating foreigners into the population than other European countries and have fewer radical mosques and organizations.

But "we have seen early signs now of anti-Swiss propaganda on the Internet," Pitteloud said. "We have our fair share of radical Islamists, there is no doubt, many of whom we don't know what to do about because many of them are refugees and we can't just kick them out."

Swiss lawmakers are considering a proposal that would allow police and the domestic intelligence service to tap the phones of suspected radicals or access their computers, even if there is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing. A similar measure was rejected last year in the Swiss parliament.

Andreas Wenger, director of the Center for Security Studies at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, said the warnings from Swiss intelligence and security services have been slow to register.

WASHINGTON POST: LATINA WOMEN CONVERTING TO ISLAM

2006-06-05T14:46:00.000-04:00

Washington Post's Sudarsan Raghavan slimes Hispanic Catholics with his Islamic Rehabilitation P.R Effort

The Washington Post places the spotlight on the small numbers of confused, wayward Hispanic women who have been drawn to Islam.

But as they embrace a new faith, Latinos face struggles, ranging from guilt to discrimination, as Muslims in a post-Sept. 11 America.

"Sometimes you feel like you are betraying who you are, that you are abandoning your family," said Avelar, who is small and round-faced with a soft voice.

The converts hail from throughout Latin America. In Islam, some say they see a devoutness and simplicity they find lacking in Catholicism. Like the tightknit Latino culture, Islam places emphasis on family, which can make it easier for converts to adjust.

Yet some are as motivated by feelings of alienation in a nation that is divided over immigration. Latino women find what most westerners rarely see -- a respect for women, unlike, some converts say, the machismo culture in which they were raised.

AYAAN HIRSI ALI INTERVIEW: "EUROPE IS GOING DOWN THE DRAIN"

2006-06-05T05:21:00.000-04:00

You Won't Beat Terror With Tolerance: The Times of London's Jasper Gerard interviewed Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Why is Europe no longer able to keep somoene like Ayaan Hirsi Ali?

Strife, you see, is Ali’s constant companion. She is Europe’s most vociferous opponent of radical Islam, who wrote the script of Submission, a film about Muslim mistreatment of women, which led to van Gogh’s murder. There is nothing like a former believer to scorn a religion. She has called it “backward” and attacked the Prophet’s alleged penchant for underage sex.
[...]
This from one intimately acquainted with pain: as a child she suffered clitoral circumcision; aged 23 she absconded to Holland to avoid an arranged marriage. She has not seen her family since reaching Holland, where she worked as a cleaner before attending university and crawling through the political snake-pit.

Even before Submission — which projected words from the Koran onto the backs of naked women — Ali had bodyguards, but the hysteria grew so intense neighbours won a court order to evict her. Her presence, they claimed, infringed their human rights as she was a security risk. Oh, and she was murdering property prices. Well, her flat boasted bulletproof glass, panic buttons and live-in bodyguards. It must be weird finding secret service agents in the shower.

Ms Ali hones in on Tony Blair

A familiar cry to British and, no doubt, French ears: proof that in one respect the nations of Europe are growing more alike — in their racial disharmony. What does she make of Britain’s response to the “clash of civilisations”? Before she gives her serious answer, she lampoons Tony Blair.

“I had a good laugh when he claimed to have read the Koran from cover to cover twice: nobody has. And when he said there was no conflict between the two civilisations, he missed 600 years of history.” She pauses, breaking into a grin: “I am no longer a politician. I can say such things now.”

While Britain beats Holland at encouraging immigrants to be entrepreneurs, our “politically correct attitudes are worse”, she says. Surely not worse than “pass the spliff” Holland’s? “You pretend it’s fine, you laugh about Londonistan, but you have all these terrorists who don’t accept basic British values. And you don’t really talk about it.”

And then she sums it up beautifully,

She insists her new employer, the American Enterprise Institute, will let her stoke such dangerous fires, unlike timid old Europe: “I think it is why Europe is going down the drain. The United States seems more comfortable with competing ideas.”

You won't beat terror with tolerance - Newspaper Edition - Times Online

ORIANA FALLACI: THE MOSQUE AT COLLE DI VAL D'ELSA AND OTHER PROBLEMS

2006-06-05T05:20:00.000-04:00

The Agitator: The New Yorker's Margaret Talbot interviewed Oriana Fallaci

This woman, Oriana Fallaci, is an enemy of the state(s) despite trying to help Europe save itself from destructive Muslim immigration.

Fallaci has repeatedly fallen afoul of some of Europe’s strict laws against vilifying religions or inciting racial hatred. (In Europe, the prevailing impulse toward certain kinds of outré opinions is to ban their expression.) In 2002, a French group, Movement Against Racism and for Friendship Between Peoples, tried unsuccessfully to get “The Rage and the Pride” banned. The following year, Swiss officials, under pressure from Muslim groups in that country, asked that she be extradited for trial; the Italian Minister of Justice refused the request. And she currently faces trial in Italy, on charges that amount to blasphemy, of all things. Last year, Adel Smith, a convert to Islam who heads a group called the Muslim Union of Italy, and who had previously sued the government to have a crucifix removed from his sons’ classroom, persuaded a judge in Bergamo to allow him to charge Fallaci with defaming Islam. A Mussolini-era criminal code holds that “whoever offends the state’s religion, by defaming those who profess it, will be punished with up to two years of imprisonment.” Though the code was written to protect the Catholic Church, it has been successively amended in the past ten years, so that it encompasses any “religion acknowledged by the state.” The complaint against Fallaci marks the first time that the code has been invoked on behalf of any religion but Catholicism. (In January, Fallaci’s supporters in the Italian Senate pushed through an amendment to the code, reducing the maximum penalty to five thousand euros.)

The New Yorker: Oriana Fallaci, The Agitator by Margaret Talbot

2006-06-03T15:15:00.000-04:00

SO MUCH FOR CANADA'S NEUTRAL STANCE

Moral relativism in places like Canada and Europe doesn't amount to much for Islamic Jihadists.

Islam is the only religion that commands its followers to kill nonbelievers.

They don't believe in politics separate from religion. Islamists believe that Religion must SUPPLANT or BE the state.

Remember, Muhammad was a killer. He murdered Asma bint Marwan because she wrote a poem about him. He killed many more people. Less than 50 years after he died, Muslims had raped and pillaged all the way from Saudi Arabia to Spain.

JIHAD FOR WOMEN: Kashmiri Islamic activist campaigns against beauty salons

2006-05-30T20:55:00.000-04:00

Who says Sharia is not an equal opportunity society? Now Muslim women are embracing jihad and planning on eliminating beauty salons.

"A woman can beautify herself, but only for her husband. My husband says I have beautiful eyes and he loves them when I use kohl"

BBC: Taking the 'jihad' to Kashmir's women

Ms Andrabi is clear that a Hindu "Brahmin India" has no legitimate claims over Kashmir.

"Our strong belief is that Kashmir should be part of Pakistan," she says. "We believe in Muslim unity. There's no nation in Islam, and Muslims shouldn't be divided into countries."

Ms Andrabi is not afraid to be labelled a fundamentalist. "I believe in the basic fundamentals of Islam. You can call me a fundamentalist if you like, I'm proud to be that."

"I don't believe in secularism, I don't believe that all the religions are good and that they're all based on truth."

Over the past two decades, Ms Andrabi has led campaigns against alcohol and prostitution in Kashmir.

She has played an important role in closing down cinemas, accused television channels of corrupting the youth and has raided internet cafes and restaurants for allowing young couples to meet privately.

For her activism, Andrabi has been in and out of jail many times.

Recently, she accused beauty parlours of promoting obscenity, describing them as dens of prostitution. She issued an ultimatum, asking them to shut shop.

"A woman can beautify herself, but only for her husband," she tells me. "My husband says I have beautiful eyes and he loves them when I use kohl."

But I don't use kohl even before my brother. I use it only when I'm with my husband. It's only his right. He alone can tell me what he likes or doesn't like."

One person (a man?) summed it up, perfectly

A well-known writer and social activist says: "There's no flexibility in her approach."

"She needs a broader perspective. She should lighten up. I've known her for a long time but I'm afraid of her."

BBC: Taking the 'jihad' to Kashmir's women

COLLE DI VAL D'ELSA: ITALIANS "VERY AFRAID" OF MOSQUE PLANS

2006-05-25T10:48:00.000-04:00

It seems that the local townspeople of Colle Di Val D'Elsa, Italy know that their communist leaders are selling out their town.

Here is a report by MSNBC's Jennifer Carlile:

COLLE DI VAL D'ELSA, Italy — For hundreds of years, Colle di Val d’Elsa has been renowned for its crystal and as the birthplace of medieval sculptor and architect Arnolfo di Cambio. But, the picturesque Tuscan town, situated on the road between Florence and Siena, may soon be better known as home to one of Italy’s largest mosques. That is, if it’s ever built.

The controversy over the planned construction has been brewing for seven years and has split the local community. The outcome here could set the tone for Muslim endeavors and integration across Italy.

“Those of us who live here are really afraid,” said Lucia Prizzi, who lives in an apartment beside the field and vineyards where the mosque will be built.

“It’s not right that the local government gave them this land without consulting us first,” she said.

Her sentiments are echoed on graffiti along a nearby wall: “No Mosque,” “Christian Hill,” and “Thanks to the communists the Arabs are in our house!!!” Another calls on the mayor, who supports the mosque’s construction, to build it at his house.

From emigrant to immigrant nation
Once a nation of emigrants, Italy has only had a sizeable immigrant population for around 15 years, and is still adjusting to the changing circumstances. Yet, in many areas someone from an adjacent town can still be seen as a “foreigner” — as they have a different dialect, cuisine, and patron saint — let alone someone from across the Mediterranean Sea who practices a different religion.

With one of the European Union’s highest unemployment rates, wages at a near standstill and prices shooting higher along with the euro currency, many Italians see little room for immigrant labor. And since the rise of international terrorism, the growing Muslim community — now at around 1 million, or 2 percent of the population — is being eyed with even greater scrutiny than other immigrant groups.

After the July 2005 London transport bombings, dozens of suspected Islamic extremists were deported from the country. And in April, former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s government said it thwarted planned attacks by such extremists on Milan’s subway system and on Bologna’s cathedral, which houses a painting that depicts the Muslim prophet Mohammed in a Dantesque hell.

Feeding on the country’s fears, the political party La Lega Nord — or the Northern League — switched its platform of separation from southern Italy to kicking out all foreigners, but most notably Muslims.

Meantime, although there are more than 500 Islamic centers of varying sizes across the country, Italy does not recognize Islam as an official religion.

This charged atmosphere has affected life in Colle di Val d’Elsa, where the Muslim community and the mayor have been working to build a new, larger, Islamic center to accommodate the town’s growing number of Muslims and to promote cultural exchange.

MSNBC: Mosque plans bring controversy to Tuscan town: Mayor backs Islamic center's construction, but residents are 'very afraid'

KENYA'S KORANIC FISH DISAPPEARS

2006-05-19T01:18:00.000-04:00

Tuna fish said to be inscribed with Koranic verse goes missing

Remember the Fish That Save Pittsburgh? Looks like Kenya won't be lucky enough to enjoy the same fate.

BBC: Kenya's Koranic fish disappears

A fish with markings that resembled a Koranic text has disappeared from the Kenyan Fisheries Department in Mombasa.

The tuna fish, which had provoked intense interest from Muslims, was apparently stolen by people posing as National Museum officials.

The theft was discovered when the real official from the museum, based at Fort Jesus in Mombasa, came to get the fish.

The fish was being studied to find out if the Arabic inscription "You are the best provider" was natural or a hoax.

Sceptics say the writing was the work of someone who caught the fish and then threw it back into the sea.

But others say this would be impossible, and local imams are said to have been talking in the mosques about the fish.

U.S. TRANSFERS GUANTANAMO PRISONERS TO SAUDI ARABIA

2006-05-19T01:13:00.000-04:00

This sounds like it's almost an even trade; they gave us 19 terrorists on 9/11 and we return 16.

AFP: US transfers Guantanamo prisoners to Saudi Arabia

Fifteen Saudi prisoners were transferred from a military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to Saudi Arabia after an agreement was reached with Riyadh, the Pentagon said.

Officials said Washington agreed to the repatriation of 15 or 16 Saudi citizens after receiving assurances they would not be mistreated or allowed to engage in terrorist activity.

"We have reached an understanding with the Saudi government on the return of some Saudi nationals to Saudi Arabia," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. "They'll be under the control of the Saudi government."

Hours later, the Pentagon said the transfer had completed.