Stakelbeck on Terror

Ft. Hood Shooter Motivated by Islamic Beliefs?

Erick Stakelbeck — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:54:09 GMT

The latest indicator of Nidal Malik Hasan’s religious/political motivations in perpetrating the Ft. Hood massacre just crossed the wires. According to eyewitnesses, Hasan yelled “Allahu Akhbar.” or “Allah is great,” while mowing down U.S. soldiers. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. Click on the viewer below to see my live appearance from today’s 700 Club, in which I analyze Hasan’s history of radical Islamism. CBN News Reporter Jennifer Wishon has the set up story first and then my analysis follows.

Make Your Financial Investments "Terror-Free"

Erick Stakelbeck — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:48:29 GMT

I did a story for CBN News back in June about the possibility of sanctions against the Iranian regime, and how shutting off imports of refined gas to Iran could have major repercussions for Ahmadenijad and the mullahs. In researching for the piece, I learned that four of the five companies supplying Iran with these vital shipments of refined gas were European. I wondered why the U.S. didn't just cut these compaines off and refuse to do business with them until they severed ties with Iran.

Mark Langerman had a similar thought. Only he's turned his thoughts into action. Langerman, an Arizona-based financial planner, is spearheading what he hopes is a growing trend: terror-free investments. His new financial management firm, Empowerment Financial Group, helps clients avoid investing in companies that do business with state sponsors of terrorism like Iran, Syria, North Korea and Sudan.

'We believe that we have a tangible solution to help people fight the economic war on terror," says Langerman, who launched the company along with partner Paul Seidman. "This is a bottom-up, grassroots movement."

Langerman says some 586 companies do business with state sponsors of terrorism, including 21 of them in the U.S. He adds that If these companies had their access to the U.S. financial market--the world's largest--cut off, the impact would be devastating enough that they would be forced to reconsider their business dealings with America's enemies.

Langerman hopes this terror-free investing initiative will catch on like other recent movements, including divestment from South Africa over apartheid and the "green" push for tougher enviornmental regulations.

"20 years ago, you would have been hard-pressed to find companies with environmental regulations--now it's the norm," he says. "We hope the same thing can happen, over time, with terror free investing."

The portfolios of EFG clients are screened and certified terror-free by an independent research provider on a quarterly basis. The comany is working towards establishing a mutual fund that is terror-free.

"By starting this firm, I decided to put my money where my mouth is," says Langeman. "Every American can make a difference in the economic war on terror."

So what are you waiting for?

Evangelicals and Rabbis Unite Against Nuclear Iran

Erick Stakelbeck — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:05:32 GMT

Iran is once again making a mockery of its negotiations with the West, first agreeing, then backtracking, on an agreement to have its uranium shipped overseas for enrichment. (a move that, oddly enough, would only buy the Iranian nuke program more time in the long run) This ongoing diplomatic debacle is another harsh reminder that Iran is steeped in taqqiya--or deception--the Islamic concept that justifies lying to non-believers. The Iranians have shown time and again that they simply cannot be trusted as honest partners in any serious negotiations.

It's long past time that the Obama administration got tough with the Iranians. Enough carrots: there needs to be some heavy sticks applied here to convince Iran that nuclear weapons are a no-go. One potent way to do that is through economic sanctions. As I reported on CBN News back in June, there is a bi-partisan groundswell of support in Congress for serious sanctions against Iran that would, among other things, cut off imports of refined gas to the Islamic Republic. Support for such santions not only transcends political parties; it also transcends faiths.

Leaders of the New York Evangelicals and the New York Board of Rabbis, along with the Southern Baptists’ Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, have joined together to urge the international community to enact crippling sanctions against the Iranian regime that would make Iran pay a heavy price for its continued dirve towards nuclear weapons. You can read their "Stop Nuclear Iran" resolution here. As you'lll see, it lays out ten reasons for tough sanctions that are undeniable and compelling.

It is heartening to see Christians and Jews working together on such an important initiative. As we've reported frequently on CBN News, such cooperation is a growing and welcome trend.

The time for sanctions is right now. The Iranians, according to various intelligence estimates, could have a nuclear device by 2010. The recent revelation that Iran has a hidden nuclear facility outside Qom just raised the stakes even higher. The Israelis can't wait much longer to avert a potential second Holocaust.

Radical Islamic Cell Broken up in Detroit

Erick Stakelbeck — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:55:01 GMT

This is the ninth terrorist plot broken up on U.S. soil in the past six months alone, and the third this week (following this and this). And that isn't even including the successul jihadist shooting of a military recuiter in Arkansas in May or the continuing federal investigation of Somali-Americans who are leaving U.S. cities to return home and wage jihad alongside an al Qaeda- linked group.

Is it safe to say we have a legitimate and growing homegrown jihad problem in the U.S.? The answer is readily apparent, although most Americans--particularly the media--seem oblivious right now.

Watch my report on the latest bust of a Sunni extremist group based in Detroit, by clicking on the viewer above.

Lt. Col. Allen West on Afghanistan Strategy

Erick Stakelbeck — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:52:03 GMT

I've long admired retired U.S. Army Lt. Col Allen West as an extremely sharp and honest analyst of military and security matters. Lt. Col. West retired from the army in 2004 after a distinguished 20-years-plus career that included a number of honors, the Bronze Star among them. He has served in several combat zones, including Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he was battalion commander for the Army’s 4th Infantry Division.

Lt. Col. West also served in Afghanistan, where he trained Afghan officers to take control of their country's security. Given his intimate knowledge of the Afghanistan theatre and the growing national debate over whether to send more troops there, I thought this would be the perfect time to get Lt. Col. West's observations.

He recently took time from his busy schedule--he's running for Congress in Florida's 22nd District--to sit down with me at CBN's Washington, D.C. bureau, where we discussed a variety of topics, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Israel and the worldwide jihadist movement.

Lt. Col. West's analysis on Afghanistan--specifically the controversial new rules of engagement there-- will be featured in an upcoming story of mine on the 700 Club. I'll also be posting more excerpts form our interview here on the blog. In the meantime, click on the viewer above to watch some of our conversation. What is the end game in Afghainstan? Can we win? And is political correctness hampering our efforts?

Click the player to watch.

Sesame Street Looking to Air in Gaza

Erick Stakelbeck — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:26:57 GMT

Sing it with me: "Sun-ny days, sweepin' the bombs away..."

From The Bibi Report, via AFP:

Big Bird and his pals are trying hard to get access to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip to talk about peaceful conflict resolution and carry out some Muppet Diplomacy, Sesame Street announced on Wednesday.

"We know that it's an extremely volatile area, but we also feel that it's really important that we take these step forward to promote self esteem for Palestinians," said Gary Knell, president of the Sesame Workshop, the educational organisation behind the popular children's series.

A Palestinian version of the series - Sharaa Simsim - is already shown in the West Bank, but the signal does not reach Gaza.

"We are going into production with new programmes now based in Ramallah that will focus a lot on peaceful conflict resolution," Knell said at a news conference in Jerusalem

He said he is particularly keen to send the famous Muppets to Gaza, where the station run by Hamas has stirred international outrage with its cartoon characters seen as glorifying violence against Israel.

Ah, yes, That would be Farfur the Mujahid Mouse and Nahoul the Jihadi Bumblebee. This has the potential to be a real throwdown. I smell a fatwa against Elmo. And why not? There' s already one against Mickey Mouse.

Sesame Street Looking to Air in Gaza

Erick Stakelbeck — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:22:12 GMT

Sing it with me: "Sun-ny days, sweepin' the bombs away..."

From The Bibi Report:

Another Homegrown Terrorism Plot Broken Up; This Time, Outside Boston

Erick Stakelbeck — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:25:32 GMT

Another day, another homegrown terror plot broken up. Shopping malls are an easy, soft target for Islamic terrorists. It doesn't take a genius to walk into a mall, yell "Allahu Akhbar" and start firing. From CBN News:

A 27-year-old Massachusetts man has been charged with conspiring with others to carry out terror attacks against shoppers in U.S. malls and against U.S. military in Iraq.

Authorities in Boston say Tarek Mehanna (TEH'-rek meh-HAH'-nah) of Sudbury sought training in terrorist training camps and worked with others from 2001 to May 2008 on the conspiracy "kill, kidnap, maim or injure" people in foreign countries and to kill prominent U.S. politicians.

Federal prosecutors say Mehanna and his conspirators tried to get automatic weapons for a mall attack, but their plans were foiled when they could not get the weapons.

This isn't the first time Mehanna has been detained on terrorism-related charges. In November 2008, he was arrested and charged with lying to investigators about the whereabouts of convicted terrorist Daniel Maldonado. Mehanna had been in contact with Maldonado, who trained with al Qaeda members in Somalia.

The breakup of the Mehanna cell marks the sixth major terror plot that has been thwarted on U.S. soil in the past five months alone. A seventh plot proved successful, when an Islamic jihadist shot and killed a U.S. military recruiter in Arkansas in May. And U.S. officials say Somali-Mmericans continue to travel to Somalia to join the jihad there. What they do if--and when--they return to the U.S. is the big question.

Obama National Security Advisor to Appear at Anti-Israel Group's Event

Erick Stakelbeck — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:56:15 GMT

I last wrote about J Street back in August, after the far left-wing group viciously smeared evangelical Christian supporters of Israel. Simply put, J Street is an anti-Israel organization with dubious benefactors that masquerades as a friend and supporter of the Jewish State ("the pro peace" pro-Israel crowd, according to JStreeters). Yet J Street openly advocates positions that would, according to Israeli government officials, harm Israeli interests. And that's why several members of Congress--who were previously unaware of J Street's anti-Israel positions--have decided to pull out of the group's upcoming conference in Washington, D.C. Once informed of J Street's true agenda, these lawmakers immediately came to their senses. But the Obama administration has apparently not. Incredibly, President Obama's National Security Advisor, James Jones, will be appearing at the JStreet event as the keynote speaker. The Weekly Standard's Michael Goldfarb, who has been all over this story from the beginning, has more:

We now have a "teachable moment" about the Obama White House.

For one thing, J Street has been bitterly hostile to the democratically-elected government of Israel. That's their right, just as the Zionist Organization of America had every right to be strongly critical of decisions by the Sharon government in 2005. But President Bush's national security advisor didn't speak to the annual meeting of ZOA. Prime Minister Netanyahu's national security advisor probably wouldn't speak to a group of birthers hanging out in Israel. In general, national security advisors tend not to speak to organizations that exist to criticize the government of a close ally. It will be interesting to see what Jones says about the Netanyahu government to the J Street crowd.

Second, what will Jones say about his fellow honored speakers? For example, THE WEEKLY STANDARD has learned that among the speakers is Josh Healey, author of the following "poem":

we call ourselves the chosen people
but I'm asking chosen for what?
chosen to recreate our own history
merely reversing the roles
with the script now reading that
we're the ones writing numbers
on the wrists of babies born in
the ghetto called Gaza

Goldfarb asks: will Jones be comfortable in the company of such people? How about radical Islamists? Salam al-Maryati, a man who has suggested that Israel may have been behind the 9/11 attacks, will also speak at the J Street conference. Anti-Semitic, 9/11 Trutherism is just the tip of the iceberg for al-Maryati, who works for a vehemently anti-Israel organization called the Muslim Public Affairs Council.

Why, then, is one of the Obama administration's top officials--a close confidante of the President himself on national security issues--appearing as an honored guest at such an event? Given the rash of cancellations by House members in recent days, the administration has to be aware of the growing controversy swirling around J Street and its extreme positions. Once again, it as almost as if (as I noted back in August, during the Mary Robinson fiasco) the administration is consciously trying to offend supporters of Israel. Could it be, as Philip Klein of the American Spectator, offers, that:

With each passing day, the outright contempt the Obama administration has for Israel becomes more apparent.

For the sake of both Israel and America, let's hope not. Early returns are certainly not encouraging.

Part 3: A Conversation with Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremik

Erick Stakelbeck — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:44:44 GMT

In parts one and two of my interview with Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, we discussed a variety of topics, including Serbia's efforts to join the European Union and put the Slobodan Milosevic era behind it. In the final installment of our conversation, We address Serbia's Christian heritage and the continued destruction of Orthodox churches by Muslims in Kosovo.

Click on the viewer above to watch.