Current Events 3: CIA Suicide bomber calls for jihad

The doctor from Jordan who killed seven CIA employees in a suicide bomb in Afghanistan in December of last year called for Muslims to join in the global jihad. Recently a recording dated December 29, 2009, was released on Islamic extremist websites. "How long will love for jihad be just a dream, little more than a hobby which you do on your off-time?" said the doctor.

This is very significant, because jihad is growing, all of the time. The amount of terrorist attacks will keep on growing, and our safety will keep diminishing, if terrorism continues to thrive. Terrorism is something that effects all parts of the globe, so people from all of these places must come together to put an end to it.

Current Events 2: Presidential Election in Sudan

Omar al-Bashir won the presidential election in Sudan with roughly two-thirds of the vote, reported on Monday. The election was the first in 24 years for Sudan. A U.N. official in Sudan said that the election was "a necessary step in moving towards democratic governance in Sudan." In the past years, Sudan has been tormented by a civil war between the north and south, and the genocide in Darfur.


This event is so important, because it is a move towards peace for the torn nation of Sudan. They have been filled with conflicts, ones that terrorize the people there, so it is important that these same people have a chance to express their beliefs, and have an influence in the future of their country.

Current Events 1: Palestinian Authority blocks sale of goods made at Israeli settlements

The Palestinian Authority is trying to get rid of the "cancer" of Palestinian economy, their dependence on West Bank settlements. This week Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, banned the sale of Israeli made products in the West Bank.

This is very significant event because it will most likely increase tensions between the Palestinians and Israelis. The Israelis will be angry because without selling their goods, they will not be able to make as much money. This decision will only create more bad feelings in this already controversial region.

African Wonders

The first African Wonder that I learned about was the Pyramid at Giza. The pyramids were built by the Egyptian pharaohs of the 4th dynasty, almost 4,600 years ago. While I have definitely heard of these pyramids before, they are a new thing I know about Africa because I never associated Egypt with Africa. Another African wonder that I learned about was the amount of Christian people in Africa. Christianity was spread there by Zara Yaqob in Ethiopia to help imperial control. One reason I think that I had never heard of this before is because the people in my world, myself included, tend to stereotype Africa as an undeveloped nation with people who believe not in technology and science, as we do, but in spirits and magic. The fact that we may share beliefs with them just doesn't seem to make sense to some. The final African wonder that I learned about was the Kenyan coastal town, Gedi. The ruins found of this town showed wealth and developed civilization. I think one reason we did not hear about this is again our view on the world; we don't see the Africans as being able to construct something so magnificent, or to even be able to produce a prosperous society. All we hear of Africa is the negative aspects, and we are not able to look through those.

Africa

When I think of Africa i generally think of it being the opposite of where we live. I think of it as being huge and open, not like our many cities. Another thing I think of is suffering. I picture africa as miles and miles of flat land, with wild animals and a few small villages There is an abundance of people living in Africa, and not nearly enough fresh water for them all. Africa also has a huge problem with malaria. Outrageous numbers of people die because of Malaria in Africa every year. Because of this they also seem behind the rest of the world technologically. They do not have the money for medical care to protect all these people from Malaria, and other medical issues. Another thing I think of with Africa is an unstable government, and the resulting chaos. From what I know, leaders do not have long rules in their nations, and some are corrupt. Africa seems to be full of disaster, because one thing that I have heard about the most from Africa is child soldiers, and it is another thing that makes Africa appear to some of us as an almost uncivilized area. A final thing that I know about Africa is the Darfur Genocide, but even that I do not know much about, because it seems as though Africa is separate from the rest of the world.

Obsession Video Response

Culture
Islamic hate everything different from their own
An 10-15% of people support jihad, larger amounts are anti american or anti zionist.
The people who do not support this are given a bad name, because of the actions of some of their people.

Culture of Hate
Islam is life in the Middle East, jihad is a holy war, for the sake of allah, teach children to want to die in jihad. They manipulate the children, making them believe that they must fight the evil Americans who want only o kill them. It is very disturbing to see young children not even 10 celebrating in the streets because of the murder of thousands of American citizens.

Propaganda
Arab media class uses propaganda to portray the U.S. and the West as evil. They make the people angry at the West, so they will join the cause. The show videos o injured children, blaming the U.S. for their sufferings. Leaders brainwash using interpretation of the Qu' ran. Everything they do is to make Allah pleased.

Jihad in the West
Jihadist groups spread even into Western nations. British jihadists will kill British soldiers, since they believe that the British Army is fighting a war against their people
People who committed 9/11 learned how to destroy the world trade center in American flight schools.

The Culture of Denial
People do not want to believe that these threats are a connected war against our culture. By ignoring the threat, we give them more power. It is just like Nazi Germany, that by ignoring the threat is more dangerous than acting upon it. History is repeating itself, ignoring the threat will let it spread, like Hitler did. We always talk of the horrors of the holocaust, and how we will never allow something like that to happen again. Instead it is happening right now and we are not willing to accept it. Some people like Michael Moore speak out against the war on terror, and give others false hope, that we are safe an the threat is not real.

Common Denominators
It is really scary how similar the radical Islamic situation is to Nazi Germany. The similarities can only be a bad thing since the Nazis committed so many crimes against humanity. Like the Nazis the extremists are training children at very young ages to hate Americans, Christians, and Jews. They are told lies that portray the Jews as killers who want to kill Islamic children, and that Americans want to take over their nations. The children are trained to kill, and to be proud to die as suicide bombers. Just like the Hitler youth, Islamic Radicals brainwash children to believe that their ideals only are correct, that they are superior, and that Westerners are a threat to them, and their ways of life.

Hitler
Radical Islamic people agreed with Hitler's desire to exterminate Jews. Muslim SS divisions were formed. Islam is even more dangerous that the secular Nazism because they believe that a power higher than a military leader wants them to o these things. They believe that Islam is the only way, no other way of life will be accepted. They want to make the entire world Islamic. They say t is a promise from Allah that Islam will rule the world

We've been here before...
-The same as Hitler, a quest for world denomination
We have to try to put an end to this before it is too late. Muslims who do not believe in the terrors should speak up, and show the world that this is not how all Muslims act, and that the terrorism will not be tolerates. If the Western world and these muslims that do not wish to conquer the world fight together for our ideals we will be able to make a difference in this evil. Just like we did with Saddam Hussein, we must find the support of those who do not agree and defeat it together. It is not possible to wipe out terrorism all together, but it is possible for us to make a powerful stand against it, and make the threat to our people and to other people around the world safer.

Can the U.S. win a war in Afghanistan?

I think that it is possible for the U.S. to win the war in Afghanistan, but it will be very hard, and will take a long time. The U.S. has had problems with the terrain in Afghanistan, and the ways the Taliban and al-quiada use it. However I don' think this will stop them from winning the war, it will just make it more difficult. While the terrorist groups have the advantage of knowing their land, the U.S. has the world strongest military. We will need o be patient, and to come up with better plans and ways to attack the terrorist hidden in the mountains. One thing we have behind us is the support of the people of Afghanistan. The people there want democracy and want to get rid of the Taliban. I think at this point in the war for the U.S. to win we must focus less on attacking the Taliban, and instead work on developing Afghanistan. If we take away at least some of the advantage they have with the mountains, we will easily be the stronger force. The people of Afghanistan can help us to fight better in the terrain and give us greater numbers. It is possible for us to win this war, but it will take a lot of time, and a change in our policies.

Why Bush Went to War

I agreed with this author of this article to a point, but I disagree with him on some areas. Firstly, I think that the three points that he spoke of are definite contributors to President Bush's decision. I think of the three, the main point would be the oil. Oil effects us more directly than Israel, and even though we would like to occupy land in the Middle East through our military, I think the matter of just oil is the most significant. One point that I disagree with is how the author claims that Bush did not go to war because of al-Qeada and 9/11, but used these things as excuses to go to war. I think that all of these, including the three points the author mentioned early in the article were all contributing factors to President Bush's decision to go to war.

An End to American Dependency on Oil/ Oil and Water

I think that if possible, it is best for the U.S. to find a new solution for power beside oil from the Middle East. It is better for our nation in many ways. First off, by doing this we will no longer be hurting ourselves economically when we attempt to defend ourselves or other nations in the Middle East. We will become dependent on ourselves, and harder to break. While doing this we also take away a huge advantage that members of OPEC hold above us. If we end this dependency we will become a better nation.



Both oil and water have a great significant to to our world, and are both highly coveted natural resources, water is the more important of the two. Without water, the entire world is at a lose. Water is essential to human life, and also to the oil-producing process. We can find ways to living without oil; we already have some, it is just a mater of adjusting to these new ways. Water is something everyone everywhere needs, and cannot be replaced. There are not enough fresh, drinkable water sources in the world, and we can not afford to use them for purposes than human needs.

True Life: I Live in the Terror Zone

Watching this video to me was an extremely eye opening experience, but the person who stood out to me the most was Najeeb. He was neither Jewish or Muslim, but instead a Christian, and the only one shown in the video. What made him so important in my mind was the fact that he represented a whole new aspect of this conflict. Najeeb's story made me realize that this issue reaches beyond that region, and beyond those two religions. When Najeeb's college admissions, his way out of the danger zone, was canceled it became so clear to me that all types of people are affected by the bad blood between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

The contrast between our lives and the lives of these young adults is to the extreme. What I thought was a clear representation of this was when Najeeb went to take his college tests. To us, these tests are something to dread, and to some, an inconvenience; but to Najeeb they were a way out of the dangerous life he endured for so long.