Stakelbeck on Terror

Stakelbeck on Twitter

Erick Stakelbeck — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:45:29 GMT

You can now follow me on Twitter. My user name is staks33. I'll be checking in regularly to give the latest inside scoop on what I'm hearing about and reporting on when it comes to the War on Terror, U.S. national security and the Middle East.

85 Sharia Courts Now Operating in Britain?

Erick Stakelbeck — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:05:42 GMT

A troubling--but not surprising--new report from a British academic detailing the advancement of sharia law in Britian:

There are as many as 85 sharia courts operating in Britain, according to a new report.

Academic Denis MacEoin, the report's author, said the existence of the courts practising Islamic law could lead to different legal standards being applied to Muslim and non-Muslim citizens.

He said many of the courts operate out of mosques and their rulings are closed off to non-Muslims.

In previous reports it was claimed there were only five sharia courts in the UK, working in London, Manchester, Bradford, Birmingham and Nuneaton.

He said: "This is not a matter of eating halal meat or seeking God's blessing on one's marriage. It is a challenge to what we believe to be the rights and freedoms of the individual, to our concept of a legal system based on what parliament enacts, and to the right of all of us to live in a society as free as possible from ethnic-religious division or communal claims to superiority and a special status that puts them in some respects above the law to which we are all bound."

His report, published by the think-tank Civitas, includes a list of previous sharia judgements which he believes give an indication of the type of ruling being handed down by the courts working in the UK.

Among the examples quoted are laws banning a Muslim woman from marrying a non-Muslim unless he converts to Islam and the removal of a wife's property rights in the event of divorce.

The report states: "Among the rulings ... we find some that advise illegal actions and others that transgress human rights standards as they are applied by British courts."

Britain has a major problem on its hands, as CBN News has been documenting in recent years. Some analysts I talk to believe that in the next 20-30 years, we'll see the emergence of Islamic enclaves inside Britian that operate outside the norms of British society--unassimilated and isolated. If the above mentioned report is corrrect, we may already being seeing it to some degree. This is a recipe for disaster and serious civil unrest.

Hezbollah Backs Iranian Regime Against Demonstrators

Erick Stakelbeck — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:30:14 GMT

Like a good proxy should, of course. From AFP:

Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on Thursday accused the West of fomenting protests in Iran over this month's presidential election but added that it had no worries about the stability of its main foreign backer. "The extent of Western and American involvement in Iran's internal affairs is now clear," the Shiite militant group's deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Qassem, told AFP in an interview.

"What is going on in Iran is not a simple protest against the results of the presidential election," he said. "There are riots and attacks in the streets that are orchestrated from the outside in a bid to destabilise the country's Islamic regime."

Tensions have been rising between Iran and the West over the Islamic regime's suppression of mass street protests sparked by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's contested re-election on June 12.

Qassem insisted that his party, still blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by Washington and regarded by its critics as an Iranian proxy, would not be affected by the events Tehran.

"Hezbollah has nothing to do with Iran's internal affairs," he said. "We don't side with anyone. This is an internal Iranian issue."

Yes, but Iran has much to do with Lebanon's internal affairs, courtesy of Hezbollah.

Fascinating Look at the Iranian Regime's Inner-Rivalries

Erick Stakelbeck — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:28:59 GMT

A must read here from the New York Times. I look for the Supreme Leader/Ahmadenijad/Revolutionary Guards wing to win out in the end in what may be a bloody purge of their rivals within the regime:

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has maintained a markedly low profile since Iran’s disputed presidential election erupted into bloody street protests.

But analysts said the crackdown now taking place across Iran suggested that Mr. Ahmadinejad had succeeded in creating a pervasive network of important officials in the military, security agencies, and major media outlets, a new elite made especially formidable by support from one important constituent, Iran’s supreme leader himself.

Mr. Ahmadinejad has filled crucial ministries and other top posts with close friends and allies who have spread ideological and operational support for him nationwide. These analysts estimate that he has replaced 10,000 government employees to cement his loyalists through the bureaucracies, so that his allies run the organizations responsible for both the contested election returns and the official organs that have endorsed them.

“There is a whole political establishment that emerged with Ahmadinejad, which is now determined to hold on to power undemocratically,” said one American-based Iran analyst, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of his work in Iran. “Their ability to resist the outcome of the election means they have a broad base as a political establishment.”

There is a pattern to the way Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has selected allies throughout his career, said Said A. Arjomand, a professor of sociology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook who has just finished a book analyzing the rule of the supreme leader. The ayatollah has repeatedly surrounded himself with men lacking an apparent social or political base of their own, men who would be dependent on him, Mr. Arjomand said.

Read it all.

Neda's Family Forced From Their Home by Iranian Authorities

Erick Stakelbeck — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:04:26 GMT

Just when you thought this story couldn't get any more horrific. As if the senseless murder of a vibrant, beautiful young woman in the prime of life weren't bad enough. This is unspeakably evil. From The Guardian:

The Iranian authorities have ordered the family of Neda Agha Soltan out of their Tehran home after shocking images of her death were circulated around the world.

Neighbours said that her family no longer lives in the four-floor apartment building on Meshkini Street, in eastern Tehran, having been forced to move since she was killed. The police did not hand the body back to her family, her funeral was cancelled, she was buried without letting her family know and the government banned mourning ceremonies at mosques, the neighbours said.

"We just know that they [the family] were forced to leave their flat," a neighbour said. The Guardian was unable to contact the family directly to confirm if they had been forced to leave.

Read it all. And while you're at it, read this, too. And ask yourself: can we really negotiate with this regime? How can a government that perpetrates acts of such utter depravity and inhumanity be trusted at the negotiating table? President Obama, are you listening?

U.S. Continuing Drone Strikes in Pakistan

Erick Stakelbeck — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 20:15:33 GMT

With the world focused on the Iranian uprising right now, the Pakistan dilemma has slipped under the radar a bit. But it may not stay there for long. Here's the latest, from Longwarjournal.com:

The US carried out its second Predator airstrike inside South Waziristan today. Unmanned Predator aircraft killed 17 Taliban fighters in an attack near the headquarters for Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud.

The Predator strike aircraft fired three Hellfire missiles as Taliban fighters gathered for a funeral of Commander Sangeen, a leader in Baitullah's army in South Waziristan who was among six Taliban fighters killed in the first US airstrike earlier today.

The attack took place in the town of Makeen, a stronghold of Baitullah Mehsud, according to Geo News. The US has hit Taliban facilities in the Makeen region three times since June 14. The Pakistani Air Force has also launched several attacks in the region.

Read it all. These strikes have obviously hampered Al-Qaeda's operations in the region a great deal and have succeeded in taking out several of the group's top leaders. But I recently spoke to a security specialist (who has spent a good deal of time in the tribal regions) who said that he thinks the strikes are having a harmful long-term effect because they serve to turn the local population against America. That is likely so, but what other option do we have right now? I asked my contact, and he couldn't come up with any viable alternatives that woudl work in the short term. At the moment, I can't either. As usual, there are no easy answers when it comes to Pakistan.

Iranian Uprising Heading for a Weekend Climax?

Erick Stakelbeck — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:52:52 GMT

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khameini, laid down the gauntlet today to the protestors, as most expected he would. Yet hundreds of thousands of Iranians remain in the streets, undaunted. I spoke to a leading Iranian dissident today who told me that the largest protest yet may take place on Saturday, in open defiance of the Supreme Leader. As the incomparable Charles Krauthammer writes, this can only end in one of two ways:

This revolution will end either as a Tiananmen (a hot Tiananmen with massive and bloody repression or a cold Tiananmen with a finer mix of brutality and co-optation) or as a true revolution that brings down the Islamic Republic.

The latter is improbable but, for the first time in 30 years, not impossible. Imagine the repercussions. It would mark a decisive blow to Islamist radicalism, of which Iran today is not just standard-bearer and model, but financier and arms supplier. It would do to Islamism what the collapse of the Soviet Union did to communism — leave it forever spent and discredited.

Do yourself a favor and read Krauthammer's entire column. And keep the Iranian people in your prayers. By the way, where does Israel stand in all of this? Read this fascinating take by the Jerusalem Post's Caroline Glick.

A Roundup of Iran News

Erick Stakelbeck — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:10:51 GMT

Developments continue to come out of Iran at a furious pace. We're keeping up on all the latest news about the protests here at the CBN Newsroom in D.C. You can watch my story from today's 700 Club--about how tech-savvy young Iranians are using Twitter, Facebook, and other social networking sites to defy the regime and mobilize in the streets--by clicking here. In addition, I attended a fascinating briefing yesterday at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy that examined whether the Iranian regime can survive the current unrest. The panelists--including a founding member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards who is now a fierce critic of the regime--seemed to think that the regime will weather the current storm and tighten its grip--but not before some serious inter-regime bloodshed. Think Night of the Long Knives, Persian-style, with the hardliners--led by Ahmadenijad, the Supreme Leader and the military/intelligence complex--emerging victorious and adopting an even more bellicose stance towards America and Israel. In the meantime, the Revolutionary Guards are reportedly preparing for a massive rally tomorrow in Tehran that has been called by opposition leader Meir Hussein Mousavi. This may get very ugly very quickly. We've already seen deadly violence carried out by Iranian security forces and the regime's Basilj militia in recent days. If the regime feels that it is truly losing its grip on power, Tianeman Square style-crackdowns may ensue, witrh many more brave, democratic-minded Iranians losing their lives in the struggle for freedom.

CIA Chief: Bin Laden Still in Pakistan

Erick Stakelbeck — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:59:09 GMT

From the "tell us something we didn't know" department:

WASHINGTON (AP) - CIA Director Leon Panetta says he believes Osama bin Laden is still in Pakistan. The spy agency hopes to close in on the al-Qaida leader as Pakistan's military cracks down on the tribal area where he is thought to be hiding.

Panetta told reporters after a speech on Capitol Hill that finding bin Laden remains one of the CIA's top priorities. He said he hopes that the combination of increased CIA activity and the Pakistani military offensive will give the United States a better chance of nabbing him.

Panetta said in his speech that the CIA has increased the number of officers and agents in Pakistan who are providing targeting and other information to attack the al-Qaida network there.

And they have been very effective. Hopefully, the Pakistani military maintains its recent pressure on jihadists in the tribal regions as well (always a big "if").

Israeli Official: Settlements Not the Real Issue

Erick Stakelbeck — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:41:43 GMT

I attended a hard-hitting speech by Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Moshe Ya'alon--currently Israel's Minister of Strategic Affairs--at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy yesterday. Ya'alon, the former chief of staff for the Israeli Defense Forces, was the first senior official in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government to address a U.S. audience, and he didn't disappoint. In his typical blunt, candid style, Ya'alon covered everything from the Iranian threat, to the controversy over Israeli settlements to the mainstream media's (and some Western governments') disconnect from reality regarding events in the Middle East. It's a tough neighborhood, to say the least, and no one understands how to deal with the various existential threats to Israel's security better than Ya'alon. Hopefully, the West is listening. You can watch my report from today's edition of the 700 Club on Lt. Gen. Ya'alon's speech by clicking here.