Tuesday, June 23, 2009

'Terror commander' loses appeal

An Afghan asylum seeker in Glasgow who fought against Nato-led forces in his homeland has lost his appeal against deportation from the UK.

Dawalat Khan Nasir, 34, was a former commander with the banned Islamist group Herzb-e-Islami Gulbuddin (Hig).

He entered the UK illegally in 2006 and claimed asylum on the grounds he was at risk of persecution in Afghanistan.

Judges at the Court of Session said his past meant he could not be shielded by human rights legislation.

The court heard that Nasir took part in attacks against the Nato-led mission in Afghanistan.

He took over his father's role as commander in Hig - a mujahideen group founded by former Afghan prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar - when he was killed as the Americans moved in to overthrow the Taliban.

Nasir used Hig money to fund his departure from Afghanistan and fled by plane and lorry before entering Britain illegally in July 2006.

He made an application for asylum claiming that since childhood he had been involved with Hig - a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK.

In October last year, Nasir, who has been living at a flat in Glasgow, was told by the Home Office that his asylum application had been rejected.

He challenged the decision but his case was rejected by a senior immigration judge.

His case came before the Court of Session in Edinburgh on Tuesday, which upheld the decision to deport him.

Afghan attacks

Nasir had claimed there was insufficient evidence of his participation in Hig acts which were contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations and that he should be afforded protection under human rights legislation and the Geneva Convention.

But Lord Hardie, who heard the case with Lord Reed and Lord Carloway, concluded that he was aware of Hig activities and aims and was excluded from the convention's protection.

Lord Hardie said: "At the time of his father's death the applicant was actively participating in the acts of Hig, including attacks against the International Security Assistance Force.

"He must have been aware at that time of the aims, methods and activities of Hig.

"Thereafter he became a commander in Hig and was involved in the planning of acts, including issuing orders to obtain guns.

"As a result of his involvement with Hig the applicant is excluded from the protection of the Geneva Convention."

He is excluded from the Geneva Convention? So following that logic, all of the guests at Club GITMO are exempt from the Convention as well.

Kamikaze drone loiters above, waits for target

new kamikaze drone out of Israel is designed to hang about overhead until it spots a target, then crash into it with "pinpoint accuracy" destroying the target, and itself, with 50 pounds of on-board explosives.

While classified as a Loitering Munition, the HAROP comes equipped with many of the usual UAV capabilities: high-performance FLIR and color CCD camera with 360-degree hemispherical coverage, allowing it to transmit video back to its operators just like a surveillance drone.

Like its predecessor the Harpy, the HAROP will be used to take out high-value targets such as air defense radars that transmit a strong tractable pulse. But there's nothing to indicate it can't home-in on a cell phone call from a moving car. Fortunately, the developer, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), has thoughtfully included a Man in the Loop feature that enables the missile to be controlled in real time in case an attack needs aborting to avoid collateral damage.

The HAROP can be launched from a variety of platforms, including a ground vehicle. Launched out the box on a booster rocket, it unfold its wings, starts up an internal-combustion driven pusher propeller, and begins the hunt. Once a target is identified, it can crash "from any direction and at any attack angle, from flat to vertical which is highly essential in urban areas."

IAI has reportedly already signed a $100 million-plus contract to supply the lethal loiterers to an unidentified customer. Throwaway UAVs may do for IAI what disposable razors have done for Gillette.

A suicide UAV. Now that must really bother the muslims. That is their method of killing.

Mich. judges given say in court dress

LANSING, MI - The Michigan Supreme Court has voted to give judges authority over how witnesses dress in court after a Muslim woman refused to remove her veil in a small claims case.

A statewide court rule letting judges regulate the appearance of witnesses, such as asking them to remove face coverings, was approved by a 5-2 vote. The dissenters said there should be an exception for people whose clothing is dictated by their religion.

Justices heard last month from a Muslim woman who sued because her small claims case was dismissed when she refused to remove her veil.

Judges argued that they should be able to exercise reasonable control over the appearance of parties and witnesses to observe their demeanor and ensure they're accurately identified.

How does the judge know who he is talking to if a muslim is wearing a bag over her head?

UK: Women forced to marry under sharia are "really messed up"

NEW legislation has failed to stop forced marriages taking place, according to an Enfield support group.

Ila Bel, from Enfield Saheli, in Fore Street, Edmonton, said her charity was seeing an increasing number of women who were "really messed up” after being forced to marry under Sharia law.

In September, the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act came into effect making forced marriages unlawful, following a campaign by MP Ann Cryer.

At a conference in Westminster organised by Enfield's South Asian Forum, Mrs Cryer said she had been prompted to take action to prevent forced marriages when she realised fathers were asking her for help with visas for new husbands to be brought to Britain, against the will of their daughters...

Finally someone has caught on. Now they need to prevent this type of immigration.