Please don't tell me that these people shouldn't be eradicated from the face of the earth....they ONLY speak in religious terms..."apostate"...."God"...."infidels"....."crusaders". They are trying to create a worldwide religious war because they have been brain-washed by their leaders into beleiving that their religion (Muslim/Islam) is the only "true religion" that should exist - and any other religions are evil and must be eradicated. Of course their leaders are really only in it for the power and money IMO....they could care less about religion.

And if you think I am too hard-lined on this issue, ask yourself, "How many people did I know that were killed on 9/11?"....for me the answer is 4.
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Jul 7, 10:13 AM (ET)

By LEE KEATH


CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Al-Qaida in Iraq said in a Web statement Thursday that it has killed Egypt's top envoy in Iraq, posting a video of the blindfolded diplomat identifying himself.

"We announce in the al-Qaida in Iraq that the verdict of God against the ambassador of the infidels, the ambassador of Egypt, has been carried out. Thank God," a written statement in the Web posting said.

The video does not show the envoy, Ihab al-Sherif, being killed.

Al-Qaida in Iraq, headed by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, said a day earlier that it had sentenced al-Sherif to death as an "apostate" for his country's support of the United States and the Iraqi government. The group has previously beheaded several foreign hostages, including three Americans.


Al-Sherif, who was sent to Baghdad in early June, was abducted from a Baghdad street late Saturday.

The video shows a man who appears to be the diplomat, blindfolded and wearing a polo shirt. He identifies himself as al-Sherif, says he is the head of the interests section in Iraq and gives his address. He then says he worked previously in Israel, where al-Sherif was part of the Egyptian embassy.

The claim's authenticity could not immediately be confirmed. Egyptian Foreign Ministry officials could not be immediately reached.

Last month, the Egyptian government said it would upgrade its mission in Iraq to full embassy status headed by an ambassador, which would have made al-Sherif the first Arab ambassador to Iraq's new government - although the move had not yet been officially made.

The Web statement said al-Qaida had hoped to kidnap more ambassadors.

"The reason we delayed the announcement of capturing the ambassador of the dictator Egypt was to be able to capture as many ambassadors as we can," it said, referring to the fact that al-Qaida didn't announce al-Sherif's abduction until several days later.

The statement denounced the Egyptian government as "apostate" for its support of the United States. It said al-Sherif gave his captors under interrogation "information making clear the infidel nature of the (Egyptian) regime and his confessions have been recorded."

"The Egyptian regime is one of the first to launch war on Islam and Muslims, since several decades," the statement said, pointing to Egypt's crackdown on Islamic militants on its own soil and its agreement to train Iraqi security forces.

"It was first to obey the crusaders in ... sending the first ambassador to the (Iraqi) government," it said, referring to Egypt's announcement last month that it would send an ambassador to Baghdad, the first Arab government to do so.

"Our sheik Abu Musab al-Zarqawi ... is determined to stand up to traitors and crusaders and all those who stand with them, and we vow to all the dictatorial nations that Iraq is not safe for infidels because God has empowered the mujahedeen," it said.

Al-Qaida in Iraq has waged a campaign of attacks on Iraqi and U.S. forces in Iraq.

I'd characterize things a bit differently. While Islam is used as a tool to manipulate, it certianly is a critical if not the key motivator among terror leadership.

Many believe the master plan is to establish a fundamentalist homeland in the Arabian peninsula, protected by Pakistani nukes and funded by Saudi oil.

If the entire world is Islamic, they don't have infidel capitalists to sell the oil too :rtfm:

Most importantly I think it's a mistake to assume this is an offensive war against the West for global Islamic domination, or to write off the actions of terrorists as mindless. In the minds of al Qaida they are responding to Western meddeling in Middle Eastern and Islamic affairs. Our behavior over the past century has helped form what's going on today. It would be pretty ignorant to think all our %$%$%$%$ doesn't stink. Doesn't mean we have to appologize or feel guilty, but rather be sure we weigh the costs of our actions to determine what's really worthwhile.

Where we can identify terrorisim, let the bombs fly and make no appologies.

-spence

Well said Spence.
I concur, with (1) exception....Most importantly I think it's a mistake to assume this is an offensive war against the West for global Islamic domination, I beleive in their minds it has already gotten to this point.

Spence: Most importantly I think it's a mistake to assume this is an offensive war against the West for global Islamic domination

Well said Spence.
I concur, with (1) exception.... I beleive in their minds it has already gotten to this point.

That might be the message of the guys pulling the strings are sending out to the islamic world but I'm willing to bet that most of the ringleaders are in it for the same reasons everyone else has used terrorism as a weapon:

Power: Many leaders of actions like this want the power and often the prestige of standing up to the west, particularly the US. Kaddafi & Sadam come to mind.

Waging war: It's there one primary form of attacking us, assymetrical warfare. They can't go to toe to toe with us conventionally so they go how they can, assymetrically thru terrorism. Worked for them in Beruit, Somalia, and they probably thought it would on September 11th. But it also partially worked in Madrid and likely influenced the election.

As long as we don't desecrate the Koran. :rollem:

Yes - read my post on the other thread....IMO it is all about POWER....and money is power in this world.....the USA (read Capitalists) have the money now (historically speaking). Therefore we have been able to amass all the power (military, economic, social, etc).

All wars come down to the "have-nots" figthing againt the "have's". We all want to be the "have's" during our lifetimes. Look to all the empires of the world and how they rose to power and then fell....the Byznatine's, the Roman Empire, the British Empire.....I can point to specific examples of how the "have-nots" in each of these empires rose up (rebelled) to shift the balance of power (read money), and therefore crumble each empire. The French Revolution ("Let them eat cake"), the American Revolutiuon ("Give me liberty or give me death"), etc., etc., etc.

Is the USA an empire in today's world? I think so. Do you?

Many leaders of actions like this want the power and often the prestige of standing up to the west, particularly the US. Kaddafi & Sadam come to mind.
But both Saddam nor Khadafi are (were) SECULAR leaders :rtfm:

-spence

But both Saddam nor Khadafi are (were) SECULAR leaders I don't really believe that. Do you?

Ask the Sunni's if Saddam was secular......my pojnt being SECULAR is an interesting word. It depends on which side of the fence you are on. Anyone can claim thay are secular, but then kill you becuase they disagree with your beliefs. Does that make you secular? I am not sure.

We are absolutely an imperial nation. we dont claim lands to be our own, but instead we install puppet leaders to do our deeds and look out for american interests. In return they get weapons and $$..

IMO we need to rid ourselves of middleeastern oil, become energy independant and do a much better job policing our borders. Let the Iraqis and the iranians and the kuatis and the labanese etc. kill themselves.

IF Iraq had no oil we wouldnt be there


WHERE IS OSAMA!!!!!