Angry Reactions Result From News of "Jesus Scopes"

Muslim groups reacted angrily to the news that so-called "Jesus scopes" were being used by the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. The story, first reported by ABC News, noted that Michigan-based contractor Trijicon had sold up to 800,000 of the sights, which have coded Bibilical references, to the U.S. military.

A Trijicon spokesman said the practice began under its founder, Glyn Bindon, who was a devout Christian from South Africa. He was killed in a 2003 plane crash, ironically between Gunsight Mountain and Sheep Mountain in Alaska.

Upon hearing the news, Michael Weinstein, Founder and President of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation said: "It's wrong, it violates the Constitution, it violates a number of federal laws. It allows the Mujahedeen, the Taliban, al Qaeda and the insurrectionists and jihadists to claim they're being shot by Jesus rifles." The MRFF is an advocacy group that seeks to ensure the separation of church and state in the military.

The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) called for U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates to immediately withdraw from combat any equipment found to have inscriptions of Biblical references. MPAC Director Haris Tarin said in a statement, "Having Biblical references on military equipment violates the basic ideals and values our country was founded upon. Worse still, it provides propaganda ammo to extremists who claim there is a 'Crusader war against Islam' by the United States."

At least two other countries that buy scopes from Trijicon are reconsidering those purchases. First, in the U.K., a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence told the BBC that the ministry was contacting Trijicon, had been unaware of the markings at time of purchase, and realized that the markings might be considered offensive. Meanwhile, New Zealand's Defence Force told the New Zealand newspaper The Press that the Biblical quotes were "inappropriate" and would be removed. New Zealand will also ask Trijicon to remove the code from future shipments.

It is also true that the U.S. military has in place a non-proselytizing rule, to prevent providing the Taliban, al Qaeda and others such fuel for their insurgency. It is, howver, ironic, that scopes of this nature could provide ammo for our enemies.

Watch a video report:

"Indecent" Skirt Earns Sudanese Girl 50 Lashes

A 16-year-old Sudanese girl was subjected to 50 lashes after a judge ruled her skirt was indecent. This is the latest case to highlight the strictness of Sudan's Islamic law.

The 16-year-old, Silva Kashif, was arrested by a plain-clothed policeman in a Khartoum market last week. The skirt was slightly below the knee. She was convicted of offending public morality and received 50 lashes in the courtroom, allowing no time for an appeal

In a telephone interview with AP, Kashif said "I was treated like a criminal. I am confused what to wear. The trousers were an issue. My skirt was beneath the knee. What more can I do? I am Christian. My tribe and my customs permit me to dress like this."

The northern areas of Sudan have a strict Islamic code. This follows closely the case of Lubna Hussein, a woman journalist who was sentenced to 40 lashes for wearing "indecent" trousers. Hussein's sentence was frotunately reduced to a fine, but she is now campaigning for reformation.

Human rights lawyer Azhari al-Haj said a legal team plans to sue authorities. They will cite the fact that authorities gave Kashif the maximum sentence, ignoring the fact that she was bitg a minor and a Christian.

"The whole thing from her arrest to her flogging didn't take one hour and half. This is unprecedented. We want to question the police officers and the judge, to exonerate Silva and to campaign against these laws."

We Can't Kill All The Muslims: O'Reilly

Tuesday, following the Fort Hood memorial service, during an interview with Lt. Col Ralph Peters, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly stated flatly, "we can't kill all the Muslims," as the reason for why we try to reach out to moderates.

Peters said:

"It's clear that the problem is Islam. And the other thing that offended me in all the speeches at Fort Hood today, not one mention of terror, terrorist, terrorism. I didn't expect him to mention Islamist terrorism; that would be too far for Obama. But what does it take, what evidence does it take for our president to admit this was an act of terror?"

O'Reilly's response:

"It was an act of terror. Let me play devil's advocate here. Barack Obama wants to win hearts and minds in the Middle East, in the Muslim world, which is a good thing. And you know that. As a soldier, we can't kill all the Muslims. So we want to win the hearts and minds of as many good, moderate Muslims as we can.

"So he goes out of his way to avoid the Muslim terrorist label, which clearly applies to Hasan. But he doesn't do it (sic) because he wants to tamp down the anger in the Muslim world, rather than ratchet it up. So is that not a worthy strategy?"

While it sounds, at first glance, like a positive statement, because O'Reilly purports that "winning hearts and minds" of Muslims is a "good thing," it's interesting that neither of the two speak of the fact that there are non-Islamic terrorists. It also seems to posit that our outreach is simply because we can't "kill them all," which would be the favorable path, to O'Reilly.

Additionally, while being politically correct has perhaps gone overboard (and not just in the U.S.), it's also not true that being PC is exclusive to discussing terrorism.

Watch the video:

Iraqi-American Father Runs Over Daughter For Being "Too Westernized"

Faleh Hassan Almaleki, 48, is suspected of running down his daughter because she was becoming too "Westernized" and was not living according to their traditional Iraqi values. He was last seen fleeing the parking lot of the Department of Economic Development in Peoria, AZ, Tuesday after hitting Noor Faleh Almaleki, his 20-year-old daughter, and her boyfriend's mother, with his Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Noor Faleh Almaleki of Surprise, AZ, remains hospitalized with critical injuries. 43-year-old Amal Edan Khalaf, mother of her boyfriend, also of Surprise, suffered non-life threatening injuries, but remains hospitalized. Noor Almaleki was apparently living with Khalaf and her son.

Faleh Hassan Almaleki is still on the run. Police said he was last seen driving a gray or silver 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee with license plate No. ADS-9192.

Florida Students Wear "Islam is of the Devil" T-shirts to School

There was a time when parents tried to teach their kids acceptance. Gainesville, FL high school students have been sent home over the last few days for wearing t-shirts with the phrase “Islam is of the Devil” on the back. The children wearing the shirts belong to the Dove World Outreach Center, an evangelical “New Testament Church.”

The T-shirts had a verse from the Gospel of John on the front: "Jesus answered I am the way and the truth and the life; no one goes to the Father except through me," and the statement, "I stand in trust with Dove Outreach Center." The students were sent home for violation of the school district's dress code when they declined to change clothes or cover their clothing.

Freedom of speech does not apply in this case, according to legal experts:

Catherine Cameron, a faculty member at the Stetson College of Law, said the school district "likely has a good leg to stand on from a First Amendment standpoint" because the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in several cases that public schools may quash speech deemed disruptive "even if it steps on the other child's free speech rights."

Also, Ron Collins, a scholar with the nonprofit First Amendment Center in Washington D.C., said courts give public school officials a "significant amount of latitude" in regulating student dress that could be disruptive.

"Here, it's not only a religious expression. It's a religious expression that is hostile to other forms of religious expression."

What's happened to people? Every time you turn around, it seems there is a new excuse for hate.

Saeed R. Khan, president of the Muslim Association of North Central Florida, said:

"It's pretty offensive, isn't it? Particularly in a school setting where you are trying to create an atmosphere where people are supposed to respect each other and live with each other, where we have people of every ethnicity and every religion."

Bollywood Star Detained at Newark Airport Because of Muslim Surname

Indian film star Shahrukh Khan today said he was detained for two hours at Newark airport because of his Muslim name. This even did not go unnoticed in India, where a Time of India headline blared "SRK feels the heat of American paranoia."

Regarding being detained, Shahrukh Khan told CNN-IBN network that

“Khan is a Muslim name, and I think the name is common on their checklist. I was waiting for my bags. I thought it was nice of them to take me to another room, but that was apparently a second check. I had my papers in order.”

In fact, a little looking around at Indian media shows they are outraged over Shahrukh Khan being detailed. Imagine if Brad Pitt or George Clooney were treated in the same manner, simply because of their surname, and not because their entire name came up on the computer? It might happen.

The story about Shahrukh Khan being detained has also shown exactly what much of the rest of the world feels about us. For example, one commenter at the Times of India stated anyone visiting the U.S. would relate that U.S. residents have both low IQs and minimal knowledge of the rest of the world. I'm not sure about point 1, but point 2 is certainly true, particularly in terms of historical facts.

Meanwhile, India's Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni commented on Shahrukh Khan being detained, saying that perhaps India should start frisking U.S. citizens as well.

In an effort to calm things down, the U.S. Ambassador to India Timothy Roemer tried some damage control after Shahrukh Khan was detained:

“We are trying to ascertain the facts of the case, to understand what took place. Shahrukh Khan, the actor and global icon, is a very welcome guest in the United States. Many Americans love his films.”