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1. US Officials: Mossad Backing Iranian 'Terrorists'
by Gavriel Queenann
US officials say deadly attacks on Iranian nuclear scientists are being carried out by an Iranian dissident armed, funded and trained by the Mossad, an NBC report claims.
It is widely believed the The People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) has killed five Iranian nuclear scientists since 2007, and may have destroyed a missile research and development site.
The attacks have been conducted in a dramatic fashion,with motorcycle-borne assailants often attaching small magnetic bombs to the exterior of the victims’ cars.
The group has also been accused of arson attacks on several research laboratories.
US officials who spoke to NBC anonymously said the Obama administration is aware of the assassination campaign but has no direct involvement.
Mohammad Javad Larijani, a senior aide to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told NBC that the Mossad and MEK have a close working relationship.
“The relation is very intricate and close,” Larijani claimed. “They (Israelis) are paying … the Mujahedin. Some of their (MEK) agents … (are) providing Israel with information. And they recruit and also manage logistical support.”
Larijani also claimed claimed the Mossad is training MEK members in Israel on the use of motorcycles and small bombs, and has built mock-ups of facilities to attack for training purposes.
“This is an Israeli plot. A dirty plot,” Larijani added angrily.
Senior Israeli officials have refused to comment on the matter following the established tradition in Jerusalem of not discussing intelligence matters.
A foreign ministry spokesman, however, dismissed the report as "gossip."
"As long as we can't see all the evidence being claimed by NBC, the Foreign Ministry won't react to every gossip and report being published worldwide," the spokeperson said of the report.
For its part, the MEK pointed to a statement calling the allegations “absolutely false.”
The MEK, accused of killing American servicemen and contractors in the 1970s and supporting the takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran, but was not designated as a terror goup until 1997.
But in 1980 broke with the mullahs and turned its ire away from the US to the newly established Islamic regime in Iran.
A wide, bipartisan group of former cabinet members and Washington insiders feel the MEK never should have been designated as a terror group. Nor are all American's convinced targeting Iranian nuclear scientists is a bad thing.
In November 2011, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said he supported “taking out their scientists." Former Senator Rick Santorum said the targeted killings were, ”a wonderful thing.”
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by Gavriel Queenann
US officials say deadly attacks on Iranian nuclear scientists are being carried out by an Iranian dissident armed, funded and trained by the Mossad, an NBC report claims.
It is widely believed the The People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) has killed five Iranian nuclear scientists since 2007, and may have destroyed a missile research and development site.
The attacks have been conducted in a dramatic fashion,with motorcycle-borne assailants often attaching small magnetic bombs to the exterior of the victims’ cars.
The group has also been accused of arson attacks on several research laboratories.
US officials who spoke to NBC anonymously said the Obama administration is aware of the assassination campaign but has no direct involvement.
Mohammad Javad Larijani, a senior aide to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told NBC that the Mossad and MEK have a close working relationship.
“The relation is very intricate and close,” Larijani claimed. “They (Israelis) are paying … the Mujahedin. Some of their (MEK) agents … (are) providing Israel with information. And they recruit and also manage logistical support.”
Larijani also claimed claimed the Mossad is training MEK members in Israel on the use of motorcycles and small bombs, and has built mock-ups of facilities to attack for training purposes.
“This is an Israeli plot. A dirty plot,” Larijani added angrily.
Senior Israeli officials have refused to comment on the matter following the established tradition in Jerusalem of not discussing intelligence matters.
A foreign ministry spokesman, however, dismissed the report as "gossip."
"As long as we can't see all the evidence being claimed by NBC, the Foreign Ministry won't react to every gossip and report being published worldwide," the spokeperson said of the report.
For its part, the MEK pointed to a statement calling the allegations “absolutely false.”
The MEK, accused of killing American servicemen and contractors in the 1970s and supporting the takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran, but was not designated as a terror goup until 1997.
But in 1980 broke with the mullahs and turned its ire away from the US to the newly established Islamic regime in Iran.
A wide, bipartisan group of former cabinet members and Washington insiders feel the MEK never should have been designated as a terror group. Nor are all American's convinced targeting Iranian nuclear scientists is a bad thing.
In November 2011, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said he supported “taking out their scientists." Former Senator Rick Santorum said the targeted killings were, ”a wonderful thing.”
More on this topic
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Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan to Meet to Discuss Post-American Era -
Republicans Blame Obama For Losing Canadian Oil To Chinese
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Anonymous Vows Crusade Against Israel
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Lieberman: We're Prepared to Deal with Hizbullah
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Giant Cardboard Cutouts Mark Anniversary of Khomeini's Return
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Barak Fears Arms Transfer to Hizbullah
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2. Barak Approves New Construction in Gush Etzion
by Elad Benari
Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday approved the construction of a community in Gush Etzion.
The new village will be built at Gvaot, a neighborhood of Alon Shvut in Gush Etzion. The approval comes after months of talks between Barak and Acting Chairman of the Gush Etzion Council, Yair Wolf, over providing building permits for the establishment of the village.
The talks formally ended on Thursday when Wolf, who is a candidate in the coming elections for Chairman after the previous head, Shaul Goldstein, moved to a government position, received Barak’s official approval for the construction.
Today there are approximately 60 caravans in Gvaot, which are home to several families. With the new permit, the Gush Etzion Council intends to build a proper village for the graduates of the special education school in Gush Etzion. The Council plans to build permanent structures which will include dormitories and classrooms for the students.
While Gvaot is officially defined by the State of Israel as a neighborhood of Alon Shvut, which is actually located kup a winding road and several kilometers away, it in fact functions as an independent religious community which belongs to the Gush Etzion Regional Council.
“This is the most important development that occurred in Gush Etzion in recent years, and is an evidence of the irrelevance of the green line,” Wolf, who has advanced many projects in Gush Etzion, said after receiving the approval. “This is also the answer to anyone who thought about a building freeze in Gush Etzion. We’re only expanding.”
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday approved the construction of a community in Gush Etzion.
The new village will be built at Gvaot, a neighborhood of Alon Shvut in Gush Etzion. The approval comes after months of talks between Barak and Acting Chairman of the Gush Etzion Council, Yair Wolf, over providing building permits for the establishment of the village.
The talks formally ended on Thursday when Wolf, who is a candidate in the coming elections for Chairman after the previous head, Shaul Goldstein, moved to a government position, received Barak’s official approval for the construction.
Today there are approximately 60 caravans in Gvaot, which are home to several families. With the new permit, the Gush Etzion Council intends to build a proper village for the graduates of the special education school in Gush Etzion. The Council plans to build permanent structures which will include dormitories and classrooms for the students.
While Gvaot is officially defined by the State of Israel as a neighborhood of Alon Shvut, which is actually located kup a winding road and several kilometers away, it in fact functions as an independent religious community which belongs to the Gush Etzion Regional Council.
“This is the most important development that occurred in Gush Etzion in recent years, and is an evidence of the irrelevance of the green line,” Wolf, who has advanced many projects in Gush Etzion, said after receiving the approval. “This is also the answer to anyone who thought about a building freeze in Gush Etzion. We’re only expanding.”
Tags: Gush Etzion ,Gvaot ,Ehud Barak ,building permits
More on this topic
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3. Asher Grunis to Head Supreme Court
by Gavriel Queenann
Judge Asher Grunis was named president of Israel's Supreme Court Friday. He will asume his new post at the end of February.
Grunis' appointment was approved by the 9-member Judges Selection Committee with a majority of seven votes. MK David Rotem (Yisrael Beiteinu) abstained. Grunis, who also serves on the committee, also abstained.
Outgoing Chief Justice Dorit Beinisch and Justice Minister Yaakov Ne'eman informed Grunis of the appointment and offered their congratulations.
Grunis' appointment was made possible after the Knesset passed the "Grunis Law," which enables the committee to select a judge who is within three years of the mandatory retirement age for Supreme Court Judges – 70.
The incoming chief justice specializes in civil and commercial law, and is known to be a staunch proponent of civil liberties.
Grunis has a repuation as hardworking and a man of great personal integrity, who does not fraternize with politicians and avoids "judicial activism."
Judicial activism was a trademark of outgoing Chief Justice Dorit Benisch, who was frequently criticized for broad rulings that interfered with Knesset and government powers.
Indirectly referring to Benisch, Environmental Protection Minsiter Gilad Erdan praised him as "worthy" of his new role.
"I'm sure President Grunis will maintain the defense of civil rights and the prevention of injury against civilians, especially minorities, while leading a Supreme Court policy of self restraint out of a conception that not everything should be brought before the court and that there are things the public decides once every four years when it elects a government," Erdan said.
Asher Grunis was born in Tel Aviv in 1945. He graduated from the Hebrew University's School of Law in 1969, and has a Masters from the University of Virginia, and a PhD from Toronto's York University.
Grunis served as Dean of Law for the Tel Aviv University for over a decade. He served as a Beersheba District Court judge from 1988-1996, and as a Tel Aviv District Court judge from 1996-2002.
He was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2003.
Comment on this story
by Gavriel Queenann
Judge Asher Grunis was named president of Israel's Supreme Court Friday. He will asume his new post at the end of February.
Grunis' appointment was approved by the 9-member Judges Selection Committee with a majority of seven votes. MK David Rotem (Yisrael Beiteinu) abstained. Grunis, who also serves on the committee, also abstained.
Outgoing Chief Justice Dorit Beinisch and Justice Minister Yaakov Ne'eman informed Grunis of the appointment and offered their congratulations.
Grunis' appointment was made possible after the Knesset passed the "Grunis Law," which enables the committee to select a judge who is within three years of the mandatory retirement age for Supreme Court Judges – 70.
The incoming chief justice specializes in civil and commercial law, and is known to be a staunch proponent of civil liberties.
Grunis has a repuation as hardworking and a man of great personal integrity, who does not fraternize with politicians and avoids "judicial activism."
Judicial activism was a trademark of outgoing Chief Justice Dorit Benisch, who was frequently criticized for broad rulings that interfered with Knesset and government powers.
Indirectly referring to Benisch, Environmental Protection Minsiter Gilad Erdan praised him as "worthy" of his new role.
"I'm sure President Grunis will maintain the defense of civil rights and the prevention of injury against civilians, especially minorities, while leading a Supreme Court policy of self restraint out of a conception that not everything should be brought before the court and that there are things the public decides once every four years when it elects a government," Erdan said.
Asher Grunis was born in Tel Aviv in 1945. He graduated from the Hebrew University's School of Law in 1969, and has a Masters from the University of Virginia, and a PhD from Toronto's York University.
Grunis served as Dean of Law for the Tel Aviv University for over a decade. He served as a Beersheba District Court judge from 1988-1996, and as a Tel Aviv District Court judge from 1996-2002.
He was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2003.
Tags: Dorit Benisch ,Asher Grunis ,Supeme Court
More on this topic
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4. Illegal Arab Jerusalem Structure Razed
by Gil Ronen
Police tore down Thursday a structure illegally built by Arabs near the northward bound Begin Route in northern Jerusalem, near Atarot Junction.
The structure was built by several lawbreakers who fenced off a large plot of land without permission.
The structure was located near the village of Beit Hanina, inside the area defined as Area C, under the responsibility of the Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria.
Strangely, the Israel Electric Company agreed to connect the illegal structure to its power supply.
The demolition is an achievement credited to Regavim, an NGO watchdog group for Jewish national property rights. Betzalel Smutrich, the NGO's Manager of Operations, said: "We are happy to see that the law is not just written but also enforced. We will continue to fulfill our mission and monitor illegal structures that harm the public sphere and can often pose a safety danger to people driving along the roads."
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
Police tore down Thursday a structure illegally built by Arabs near the northward bound Begin Route in northern Jerusalem, near Atarot Junction.
The structure was built by several lawbreakers who fenced off a large plot of land without permission.
The structure was located near the village of Beit Hanina, inside the area defined as Area C, under the responsibility of the Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria.
Strangely, the Israel Electric Company agreed to connect the illegal structure to its power supply.
The demolition is an achievement credited to Regavim, an NGO watchdog group for Jewish national property rights. Betzalel Smutrich, the NGO's Manager of Operations, said: "We are happy to see that the law is not just written but also enforced. We will continue to fulfill our mission and monitor illegal structures that harm the public sphere and can often pose a safety danger to people driving along the roads."
Tags: illegal Arab building ,Regavim
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Top Officials Visit Illegal Mosque, Muslims Keep Building It
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Arabs Using Their Dead to Swindle Jews Out of Historical Site
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IDF Razes Illegal Arab Stores Near Givat Ze'ev
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Regavim 'Introduces' Itself to Yesha Residents - With a Plant
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Will Arson End Millennia of Jewish Life in Ancient Galilee Town?
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5. Lieberman: We're Prepared to Deal with Hizbullah
by Elad Benari
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Thursday warned against some of recent statements coming from Lebanon.
In the past few days it has been hinted that the Lebanon-based Hizbullah terror group may create a provocation against Israel in order to divert attention from what is happening in Syria, where President Bashar Assad continues the lethal crackdown on protesters.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned on Thursday that sophisticated weapons could be transferred from Syria to Lebanon and to Hizbullah should Assad fall.
Israeli officials have expressed concern in the past that Assad's fall would have regional consequences that could affect Israel. These include a possibility that Israel's north could be inundated with Syrian refugees, or that Assad might attack the Jewish state to shift attention from his regime.
Officials have also warned that Syria’s weapons, including alleged chemical and biological ones, could fall into the hands of terrorists, including Hizbullah, which fought a war with Israel in 2006.
Lieberman, who met in New York on Thursday with the ambassadors of member states of the UN Security Council, said, “We hope it will not happen but Israel will be prepared for this possibility as well.”
The foreign minister, who spoke with the ambassadors about the Security Council’s relations with Israel and about the situation in the Middle East, also addressed the reconciliation agreement recently signed between Hamas and Fatah.
“We will not accept a Palestinian government in which Hamas is a partner without Hamas changing its position and as long as it does not recognize Israel’s right to exist and accepts the Quartet’s conditions,” said Lieberman.
He added that the agreement signed in Doha does not contribute to advancing the negotiations with the Palestinian Authority and said it is based solely on the personal interests of PA Chairman Mahoud Abbas and Hamas’ politburo chief Khaled Mashaal.
The agreement signed between Hamas and Fatah calls for Abbas to head an interim government, which will be made up of "independent technocrats." The new PA interim government is to be presented on February 18 in Cairo.
Lieberman also addressed the Iranian nuclear threat and said that the Iranian regime is the greatest threat to world peace.
“We hope that the latest sanctions will cause the Iranian regime to give up its nuclear program, but if not, Israel is leaving all options open,” he said.
He also said he expects the Security Council to deal with the repeated statements of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who have repeatedly called to wipe Israel off the map.
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Thursday warned against some of recent statements coming from Lebanon.
In the past few days it has been hinted that the Lebanon-based Hizbullah terror group may create a provocation against Israel in order to divert attention from what is happening in Syria, where President Bashar Assad continues the lethal crackdown on protesters.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned on Thursday that sophisticated weapons could be transferred from Syria to Lebanon and to Hizbullah should Assad fall.
Israeli officials have expressed concern in the past that Assad's fall would have regional consequences that could affect Israel. These include a possibility that Israel's north could be inundated with Syrian refugees, or that Assad might attack the Jewish state to shift attention from his regime.
Officials have also warned that Syria’s weapons, including alleged chemical and biological ones, could fall into the hands of terrorists, including Hizbullah, which fought a war with Israel in 2006.
Lieberman, who met in New York on Thursday with the ambassadors of member states of the UN Security Council, said, “We hope it will not happen but Israel will be prepared for this possibility as well.”
The foreign minister, who spoke with the ambassadors about the Security Council’s relations with Israel and about the situation in the Middle East, also addressed the reconciliation agreement recently signed between Hamas and Fatah.
“We will not accept a Palestinian government in which Hamas is a partner without Hamas changing its position and as long as it does not recognize Israel’s right to exist and accepts the Quartet’s conditions,” said Lieberman.
He added that the agreement signed in Doha does not contribute to advancing the negotiations with the Palestinian Authority and said it is based solely on the personal interests of PA Chairman Mahoud Abbas and Hamas’ politburo chief Khaled Mashaal.
The agreement signed between Hamas and Fatah calls for Abbas to head an interim government, which will be made up of "independent technocrats." The new PA interim government is to be presented on February 18 in Cairo.
Lieberman also addressed the Iranian nuclear threat and said that the Iranian regime is the greatest threat to world peace.
“We hope that the latest sanctions will cause the Iranian regime to give up its nuclear program, but if not, Israel is leaving all options open,” he said.
He also said he expects the Security Council to deal with the repeated statements of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who have repeatedly called to wipe Israel off the map.
Tags: Avigdor Lieberman ,Hizbullah ,Syria ,Iran
More on this topic
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6. Republicans Blame Obama For Losing Canadian Oil To Chinese
by Amiel Ungar
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has had a successful visit to China and his visit has become a political issue in the US election campaign.
In terms of atmoshpherics the Canadian leader was treated as a wanted guest. Canada will get two pandas, and like most leaders,Harper was offered a strategic partnership (Portugal got the same offer).
The main importance of the visit was in terms of Canadian exports. Much of the trade will come in the form of energy and uranium exports. There were also technology agreements where the Canadian manufacturer of commuter trains, Bombardier, will supply rail cars while two Canadian telecom giants – Telus and Bell Canada, will be upgrading with equipment purchased from China.
Barack Obama's refusal to give a green light to the Keystone Xl pipeline projects has pushed Canada to seek to sell oil derived from its tar sands to China. Canadian businessman accompanying Harper on this trip were highly satisfied with the results and there was talk of reaching a free-trade agreements between the two countries.
The Chinese have hinted that Canada, despite its relatively good performance during the economic crisis, would be best advised to extend its trade relations with China, as China was assuming the role of the motor in the global economic recovery.
The intensifying Chinese-Canadian trade relations were observed by American politicians, who blame the Obama administration for this development.
Speaking in Columbus, Ohio in preparation for next month's Ohio primary - to which he has attached priority - Newt Gingrich told the crowd that Canada was looking for a new "reliable partner" for Canadian oil, following the regrettable decision by Obama. "Can you imagine an American president so short sighted that he would drive Canada into a partnership with China, yet that's what Obama's doing," Gingrich said. "And that's why the Keystone pipeline decision was such a terribly destructive decision."
A similar theme was sounded by representative John Culberson, who told the Houston Chronicle "It's outrageous and unacceptable to drive our friends the Canadians into the arms of China," he said. "Next to our national debt, the communist Chinese government is the biggest threat to American national security in the 21st century."
Comment on this story
by Amiel Ungar
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has had a successful visit to China and his visit has become a political issue in the US election campaign.
In terms of atmoshpherics the Canadian leader was treated as a wanted guest. Canada will get two pandas, and like most leaders,Harper was offered a strategic partnership (Portugal got the same offer).
The main importance of the visit was in terms of Canadian exports. Much of the trade will come in the form of energy and uranium exports. There were also technology agreements where the Canadian manufacturer of commuter trains, Bombardier, will supply rail cars while two Canadian telecom giants – Telus and Bell Canada, will be upgrading with equipment purchased from China.
Barack Obama's refusal to give a green light to the Keystone Xl pipeline projects has pushed Canada to seek to sell oil derived from its tar sands to China. Canadian businessman accompanying Harper on this trip were highly satisfied with the results and there was talk of reaching a free-trade agreements between the two countries.
The Chinese have hinted that Canada, despite its relatively good performance during the economic crisis, would be best advised to extend its trade relations with China, as China was assuming the role of the motor in the global economic recovery.
The intensifying Chinese-Canadian trade relations were observed by American politicians, who blame the Obama administration for this development.
Speaking in Columbus, Ohio in preparation for next month's Ohio primary - to which he has attached priority - Newt Gingrich told the crowd that Canada was looking for a new "reliable partner" for Canadian oil, following the regrettable decision by Obama. "Can you imagine an American president so short sighted that he would drive Canada into a partnership with China, yet that's what Obama's doing," Gingrich said. "And that's why the Keystone pipeline decision was such a terribly destructive decision."
A similar theme was sounded by representative John Culberson, who told the Houston Chronicle "It's outrageous and unacceptable to drive our friends the Canadians into the arms of China," he said. "Next to our national debt, the communist Chinese government is the biggest threat to American national security in the 21st century."
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US Officials: Mossad Backing Iranian 'Terrorists'
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Canadian FM: Israel Has Every Right to Feel Threatened by Iran
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Muslim Leader Calls for Boycott of Russia and China
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State Department Pulls Embassy Staff from Syria
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Analysis: Why Did Russia and China Veto UN Resolution on Syria?
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Merkel Seeks Help For European Finances Sanctions On Iran
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7. Saudi Twitter Apostate Arrested in Malaysia
by Gavriel Queenann
Malaysian police detained a young Saudi journalist and poet who fled his country after Twitter comments he made about the Prophet Mohammed led to public calls for his execution.
Hamza Kashgari was taken into custody after flying into Malaysia's main international airport on Thursday, police spokesman Ramli Yoosuf told AFP.
"Kashgari was detained at the airport upon arrival following a request made to us by Interpol after the Saudi authorities applied for it," he said.
State news agency Bernama said Kashgari was arrested "for allegedly insulting Islam and the Prophet Mohammed."
Shortly before his arrest Kashgari told the Daily Beast he would never return to Saudi Arabia, “It is impossible. There is no way.”
Last Monday, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud ordered Kashgari's arrest "for crossing red lines and denigrating religious beliefs in God and His Prophet."
"People are put on trial for offending other people, and the matter is far more critical when there is a profanation of God or His Prophet," King Abdul Aziz explained in the instructions to the interior minister to arrest Kashgari.
Malaysia and Saudi Arabia do not have a formal extradition treaty. He could, however, be extradited under othe bilateral security agreements.
Last week, Kashgari sent out a series of tweets that reportedly addressed the Prophet Mohammad as an equal.
“On your birthday, I will say that I have loved the rebel in you, that you’ve always been a source of inspiration to me, and that I do not like the halos of divinity around you. I shall not pray for you,” he wrote in one tweet.
“On your birthday, I find you wherever I turn. I will say that I have loved aspects of you, hated others, and could not understand many more,” he wrote in a second.
“On your birthday, I shall not bow to you. I shall not kiss your hand. Rather, I shall shake it as equals do, and smile at you as you smile at me. I shall speak to you as a friend, no more,” he concluded in a third.
However, amid the backlash Kashgari deleted the series of tweets and officials in Muslim countries have refused to allow journalists to reprint them.
The controversial twitter conversation sparked some 30,000 responses, according to an online service that tracks Twitter postings in the Arab world.
Insulting the prophet is considered blasphemous in Islam and is generally punishable by lashes in Saudi Arabia, though such sentences often include a potentially lethal 500 lashes.
Kashgari apologised recanted his tweets and begged forgiveness, but that has not stemmed calls for his head.
That did not stop the furious calls for Kashgari to be put to death.
One of the religious leaders so incensed is a cleric named Nasser al-Omar, who appeared in a YouTube video weeping because he said he could not bear to see the Prophet insulted.
“These people [like Kashgari] should be put to trial in Sharia courts,” al-Omar said. “It is known that cursing God and his Prophet is apostasy. And the fact that he has repented with cold words will not probably save him in the court.”
A committee of top clerics subsequently branded Kashgari "an apostate" and an "infidel", demanding he be tried in an Islamic court.
Apostacy carries the penalty of death by beheading in Saudi Arabia.
Comment on this story
by Gavriel Queenann
Malaysian police detained a young Saudi journalist and poet who fled his country after Twitter comments he made about the Prophet Mohammed led to public calls for his execution.
Hamza Kashgari was taken into custody after flying into Malaysia's main international airport on Thursday, police spokesman Ramli Yoosuf told AFP.
"Kashgari was detained at the airport upon arrival following a request made to us by Interpol after the Saudi authorities applied for it," he said.
State news agency Bernama said Kashgari was arrested "for allegedly insulting Islam and the Prophet Mohammed."
Shortly before his arrest Kashgari told the Daily Beast he would never return to Saudi Arabia, “It is impossible. There is no way.”
Last Monday, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud ordered Kashgari's arrest "for crossing red lines and denigrating religious beliefs in God and His Prophet."
"People are put on trial for offending other people, and the matter is far more critical when there is a profanation of God or His Prophet," King Abdul Aziz explained in the instructions to the interior minister to arrest Kashgari.
Malaysia and Saudi Arabia do not have a formal extradition treaty. He could, however, be extradited under othe bilateral security agreements.
Last week, Kashgari sent out a series of tweets that reportedly addressed the Prophet Mohammad as an equal.
“On your birthday, I will say that I have loved the rebel in you, that you’ve always been a source of inspiration to me, and that I do not like the halos of divinity around you. I shall not pray for you,” he wrote in one tweet.
“On your birthday, I find you wherever I turn. I will say that I have loved aspects of you, hated others, and could not understand many more,” he wrote in a second.
“On your birthday, I shall not bow to you. I shall not kiss your hand. Rather, I shall shake it as equals do, and smile at you as you smile at me. I shall speak to you as a friend, no more,” he concluded in a third.
However, amid the backlash Kashgari deleted the series of tweets and officials in Muslim countries have refused to allow journalists to reprint them.
The controversial twitter conversation sparked some 30,000 responses, according to an online service that tracks Twitter postings in the Arab world.
Insulting the prophet is considered blasphemous in Islam and is generally punishable by lashes in Saudi Arabia, though such sentences often include a potentially lethal 500 lashes.
Kashgari apologised recanted his tweets and begged forgiveness, but that has not stemmed calls for his head.
That did not stop the furious calls for Kashgari to be put to death.
One of the religious leaders so incensed is a cleric named Nasser al-Omar, who appeared in a YouTube video weeping because he said he could not bear to see the Prophet insulted.
“These people [like Kashgari] should be put to trial in Sharia courts,” al-Omar said. “It is known that cursing God and his Prophet is apostasy. And the fact that he has repented with cold words will not probably save him in the court.”
A committee of top clerics subsequently branded Kashgari "an apostate" and an "infidel", demanding he be tried in an Islamic court.
Apostacy carries the penalty of death by beheading in Saudi Arabia.
Tags: Saudi Arabia ,Sharia Law ,Malaysia ,Hazma Kashgari
More on this topic
Comment on this story
8. Anonymous Vows Crusade Against Israel
by Gavriel Queenann
The International hacker group Anonymous threatened to launch a crusade against Israel's government on Thursday.
The group released a video on YouTube overnight accusing Israel of "crimes against humanity", amid an escalating Internet war between Israeli and Arab hackers.
In the video, which some have called pretentious and melodramatic, Anonymous accuses Israel of bettering "the lives of a select few, while carelessly trampling the liberties of the masses."
The video contained hackneyed anti-religious, anti-Semitic, and anti-Israeli propaganda including insinuations that the Jewish state controls the world, having a "grip on humanity."
"Your Zionist bigotry has displaced and killed a great many. As the world weeps you laugh while planning your next attack," the video states.
"You label all who refuse to comply with your superstitious demands as anti-Semitic and have taken steps to ensure a nuclear holocaust...your are [sic] unworthy to exist in your current form and will therefore face the wrath of Anonymous...."
Anonymous also makes it clear it is bent on defending Iran saying, "...we will not allow you to attack a sovereign country based upon a campaign of lies."
The group then vowed to stop Israel's "reign of terror" through a staged cyber-insurgency.
"Step one will be initiated after the release of this video and will be comprised of systematically removing you from the internet," the group claimed.
"Step two will be later disclosed and is already in initiation; and, as for step three, well, think of this one as a present from Anonymous to you - we will not stop until the police state becomes a free state. We are Anonymous, we are legion, we do not forgive, we do not forget. Israeli government expect us," it warned.
Anonymous, a loosely organized international group of hackers who "seek anarchy through disrupting government and law enforcement networks,” has largely followed populist trends rather than coherent principles.
The group previously threatened to shut down the Knesset website in last June, but failed.
Israel is widely considered one of the world's leading cyber-powers and has established a cyber-defense command.
Comment on this story
by Gavriel Queenann
The International hacker group Anonymous threatened to launch a crusade against Israel's government on Thursday.
The group released a video on YouTube overnight accusing Israel of "crimes against humanity", amid an escalating Internet war between Israeli and Arab hackers.
In the video, which some have called pretentious and melodramatic, Anonymous accuses Israel of bettering "the lives of a select few, while carelessly trampling the liberties of the masses."
The video contained hackneyed anti-religious, anti-Semitic, and anti-Israeli propaganda including insinuations that the Jewish state controls the world, having a "grip on humanity."
"Your Zionist bigotry has displaced and killed a great many. As the world weeps you laugh while planning your next attack," the video states.
"You label all who refuse to comply with your superstitious demands as anti-Semitic and have taken steps to ensure a nuclear holocaust...your are [sic] unworthy to exist in your current form and will therefore face the wrath of Anonymous...."
Anonymous also makes it clear it is bent on defending Iran saying, "...we will not allow you to attack a sovereign country based upon a campaign of lies."
The group then vowed to stop Israel's "reign of terror" through a staged cyber-insurgency.
"Step one will be initiated after the release of this video and will be comprised of systematically removing you from the internet," the group claimed.
"Step two will be later disclosed and is already in initiation; and, as for step three, well, think of this one as a present from Anonymous to you - we will not stop until the police state becomes a free state. We are Anonymous, we are legion, we do not forgive, we do not forget. Israeli government expect us," it warned.
Anonymous, a loosely organized international group of hackers who "seek anarchy through disrupting government and law enforcement networks,” has largely followed populist trends rather than coherent principles.
The group previously threatened to shut down the Knesset website in last June, but failed.
Israel is widely considered one of the world's leading cyber-powers and has established a cyber-defense command.
Tags: Anonymous ,Cyberwar ,Israel ,anti-Israel ,Anti-Semitism
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