Thread: US to sell $10.8 bln in missiles, bombs to Saudis: Grand Mufti - Destroy all churches

US to sell $10.8 bln in missiles, bombs to Saudis, UAE

23 hours ago


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A US Navy ordnance handler pushes a Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) across the flight deck of the USS Kitty Hawk in northern Gulf waters on March 25, 2003 (AFP Photo/Leila Gorchev)

Washington (AFP) - The Pentagon said Thursday it plans to sell Washington's Gulf allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates $10.8 billion worth of missiles and munitions, including "bunker-buster" bombs.
The move follows a series of US weapons deals in recent years that have bolstered the air power and missile arsenals of Gulf states, which view Iran as a menacing rival with nuclear ambitions.
The pending sale comes as the United States and five other major powers pursue high-stakes diplomacy on Iran's disputed nuclear program, with talks this week portrayed as positive by both sides.
Officials said the Defense Department notified Congress this week of the planned deal that will provide a thousand bunker-buster GBU-39 bombs to the Saudis and 5,000 to the UAE.
The sale will also include sophisticated air-launched cruise missiles that can hit targets from a long distance.
The weapons are designed for use by US-made F-15 and F-16 fighter jets previously purchased by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA).
In 2010, Israel bought the same bunker-buster "precision-guided glide bombs," fueling speculation that it was preparing for potential pre-emptive air strikes against underground nuclear sites in Iran.
The proposed sales "will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States" by improving the security of friendly countries that remain forces for "stability," the DSCA said.
Under the arms package, the Saudis were due to receive $6.8 billion in weapons, parts, training and logistical support.
The Saudis and the UAE will purchase hundreds of Standoff Land Attack missiles, or SLAM-ERs, and Joint Standoff Weapons (JSOW).
These advanced missiles that will enable their warplanes to hit radar installations and other targets from beyond the range of air defense systems.
The Saudis will purchase 650 of the Boeing-manufactured SLAM-ERs and 973 Joint Standoff Weapons, made by Raytheon, as well as other missiles.
The United Arab Emirates is due to buy $4 billion worth of weaponry, including the bunker-buster bombs, 300 SLAM-ERs and 1,200 JSOW missiles.
"The UAE continues host-nation support of vital US forces stationed at Al Dhafra Air Base and plays a vital role in supporting US regional interests," the DSCA said.
"This proposed sale will improve the UAE's military readiness and capabilities to meet current and future regional threats, reduce the dependence on US forces in the region, and enhance any coalition operations the US may undertake."
The arms sale is expected to prompt renewed criticism from human rights groups and opponents of rulers in both Gulf states, which have cracked down on internal dissent and backed repression by Egypt's military-backed leadership.
The United States recently scaled back its military assistance to Egypt in the wake of a military coup that ousted the country's first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi.
Congress has 30 days to block the sale but most lawmakers have endorsed previous weapons deals with the Gulf countries.

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http://news.yahoo.com/us-sell-10-8-b...161259594.html

Destroy all churches in the Arabian Peninsula – Saudi Grand Mufti

Published time: March 16, 2012 02:30
Edited time: March 16, 2012 06:47

Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh. (AFP Photo / Hassan Ammar)

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Tags Conflict, Europe, Law, Middle East,Religion, USA

The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia has said that all churches in the Arabian Peninsula must be destroyed. The statement prompted anger and dismay from Christians throughout the Middle East.
Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah made the controversial statement in a response to a question from a Kuwaiti NGO delegation. A Kuwaiti parliamentarian had called for a ban on the construction of new churches in February, but so far the initiative has not been passed into law. The NGO, called the Society of the Revival of Islamic Heritage, asked the Sheikh to clarify what Islamic law says on the matter.

The Grand Mufti, who is the highest official of religious law in Saudi Arabia, as well as the head of the Supreme Council of Islamic Scholars, cited the Prophet Mohammed, who said the Arabian Peninsula is to exist under only one religion.

The Sheikh went on to conclude that it was therefore necessary for Kuwait, being a part of the Arabian Peninsula, to destroy all churches on its territory.

In February, Kuwaiti MP Osama al-Munawar announced on Twitter that he was planning to submit legislation that would remove all churches in the country. However, he later clarified that existing churches should remain, while the construction of new non-Islamic places of worship would be banned.

Another MP, Mohamemd Hayef, backed al-Munawar, saying the number of churches in the country was already disproportionate to the number of Christians.

As for Saudi Arabia, all religions other than Islam are banned and there are no churches, although a small minority of Christians is theoretically allowed to practice their religion in the privacy of their own home.

The Grand Mufti’s words have caused a heated response from Christians living in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and other countries throughout the Middle East. A number of bloggers also wrote on the issue.

“Considering the hysteria that besets the West whenever non-authoritative individuals offend Islam – for instance, a fringe, unknown pastor – imagine what would happen if a Christian counterpart to the Grand Mufti, say the Pope, were to declare that all mosques in Italy must be destroyed; imagine the nonstop Western media frenzy that would erupt, all the shrill screams of 'intolerance' and 'bigot,' demands for apologies if not resignation, nonstop handwringing by sensitive politicians, and worse,” Raymond Ibrahim of Jihad Watch, a blog critical of extremist Islamic laws, wrote.

The Holy Family Cathedral, Kuwait City, Kuwait (Image from kuwaitdailyphoto.blogspot.com)

The Holy Family Cathedral, Kuwait City, Kuwait (Image from kuwaitdailyphoto.blogspot.com)
Despite the sensational news value of the story, the Western media has been remarkably silent. No major news services have covered the story yet. Ibrahim argues that the Grand Mufti gets a free pass even when he incites Muslims to destroy churches because Saudi Arabia is an ally of the United States.

Restrictions on Islam in the West

The Grand Mufti’s words seem to mirror what a number of US politicians have been calling for – only their words were aimed at mosques and Muslims. In January, Republican Presidential candidate Herman Cain said Americans have a constitutional right to ban mosques, arguing that Islam combines church and state, which contradicts the US Constitution.

"They're using the church part of our First Amendment to infuse their morals in that community, and the people of that community do not like it,” Cain said on Fox News Sunday.

In November, Pat Buchanan, who vied for the Republican presidential nomination on a number of occasions, agreed with radio host Bryan Fischer in promoting limits to immigration from Islamic countries and the construction of new mosques.

In 2009 a constitutional amendment banning the construction of minarets was adopted in Switzerland following a referendum on the subject. Almost 58 per cent of the population said yes to the initiative, although the traditionally leftist French-speaking part of the country rejected it. The construction of new minarets is now banned throughout Switzerland, though the four existing minarets in Zurich, Geneva, Winterthur and Wangei bei Olten are to remain.

In 2010, French legislators banned face-covering headgear in public. The ban meant that women caught wearing the burqa in public could be fined up to 150 euros and/or be forced to participate in citizenship education. Proponents of the legislation argued that face covering was both an issue of security and social integrity, as facial recognition is important for communication. Opponents said the law encroached on personal freedoms.

http://rt.com/news/peninsula-saudi-grand-mufti-701/

3 Hours Ago by John DeMayo

Obama’s Pentagon to Sell Advanced Weapons Systems to His Islamist Allies

Last week, when the US government was shut down for lack of money, the Department of Defense informed the US Congress about its plans to deliver 10 billion dollars of US weapons hardware to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In case you have forgotten, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates just happen to be two of the world's top Sunni financiers of global terror.
The US weapons systems slated for delivery include bunker buster bombs, sophisticated Boeing made Standoff Land Attack Extended Range (SLAM-ER) bombs and Raytheon Joint Standoff Weapons (JSOW) cruise missiles. These weapons systems ---for the first time in history---will provide Sunni Islamist monarchies US made F-15's and F-16's with the power to destroy ground targets from as far away as 100 kilometers.

There is no denying that prior to 911, Sunni Islamists (Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE) were long time customers of the US Defense establishment. After Islamist financed Al- Qaeda terrorists attacked America on September 11, 2001, the Bush administration, understandably scaled back its defense department contracts with Saudi Arabia and other countries long suspected of providing financial support to Islamist terror. Since 2010, President Obama's Department of Defense has eagerly pursued---with little opposition from Congress---new historic Middle Eastern arms deals.
If you are wondering why the Republicans and Democrats---who have 30 days to protest this deal---will more than likely acquiesce to Defense Secretary Chuck Hegel's plan, look no further than Boeing and Raytheon.
Since the last election cycle, Boeing donated $3.46 million and Raytheon gifted $3.53 million dollars to the campaign funds and PACS maintained by both Democrat and Republican candidates. In 2012, Boeing spent 15.6 million dollars and Raytheon invested 7.4 million dollars to lobby our elected representatives in Washington D.C.
According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) ---supposedly founded on a tradition of cooperation between the United States and other sovereign nations with similar values and interests---the weapons shipment to these Gulf States "will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by improving the security of friendly countries that remain forces for stability."
Like most Americans, I am a little confused about US Foreign policy "goals of stability" versus the violent realities the Obama/Clinton foreign policy has shown in the Gulf region. I am also concerned about our only true ally in the Gulf region, Israel.
Washington would like America to believe that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates require these weapons to aid the United States in isolating Iran's unfriendly nuclear ambitions. This is the same Washington drivel that attempted to lead us into another war to support the Saudi backed Al Qaeda affiliated Al Nusrah Front rebels overthrow of Bashir Assad's Syrian regime.
US foreign policy, both the Bush and Obama foreign policy, has done little to discourage Iran's nuclear weapons development program. Now the US Department of Defense is planning to arm Gulf States (known supporters of Islamist terror) in order to provide stability in a region that grows increasingly more unstable because of ISLAMIST TERROR. This is like arming the Zeta cartel to provide stability in Mexico's drug wars that are spilling over into US Border States and beyond.
Does the US Congress intend to support the arming of Gulf state governments responsible for financing past-unprovoked attacks on Americans here and abroad?
Clearly, the boys and girls in Washington know better than to allow this to happen. Then again, with the 2014 election right around the corner and defense contractor money pouring into Washington like illegal immigrants flowing to US entitlement programs, my guess is this Gulf states weapons transfer is already done deal.

http://freedomoutpost.com/2013/10/ob...lamist-allies/

$10 Billion in US Weapons Hardware to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (Allies or Global Terrorists?)

19 October 2013 / 32 Comments

Last week, when the US government was shut down for lack of money, the Department of Defense informed the US Congress about its plans to deliver 10 billion dollars of US weapons hardware to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In case you have forgotten, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates just happen to be two of the world’s top Sunni financiers of global terror.
The US weapons systems slated for delivery include bunker buster bombs, sophisticated Boeing made Standoff Land Attack Extended Range (SLAM-ER) bombs and Raytheon Joint Standoff Weapons (JSOW) cruise missiles. These weapons systems —for the first time in history—will provide Sunni Islamist monarchies US made F-15′s and F-16′s with the power to destroy ground targets from as far away as 100 kilometers.
There is no denying that prior to 911, Sunni Islamists (Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE) were long time customers of the US Defense establishment. After Islamist financed Al- Qaeda terrorists attacked America on September 11, 2001, the Bush administration, understandably scaled back its defense department contracts with Saudi Arabia and other countries long suspected of providing financial support to Islamist terror. Since 2010, President Obama’s Department of Defense has eagerly pursued—with little opposition from Congress—new historic Middle Eastern arms deals.
If you are wondering why the Republicans and Democrats—who have 30 days to protest this deal—will more than likely acquiesce to Defense Secretary Chuck Hegel’s plan, look no further than Boeing and Raytheon.
Since the last election cycle, Boeing donated $3.46 million and Raytheon gifted $3.53 million dollars to the campaign funds and PACS maintained by both Democrat and Republican candidates. In 2012, Boeing spent 15.6 million dollars and Raytheon invested 7.4 million dollars to lobby our elected representatives in Washington D.C.
According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) —supposedly founded on a tradition of cooperation between the United States and other sovereign nations with similar values and interests—the weapons shipment to these Gulf States “will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by improving the security of friendly countries that remain forces for stability.”
Like most Americans, I am a little confused about US Foreign policy “goals of stability” versus the violent realities the Obama/Clinton foreign policy has shown in the Gulf region. I am also concerned about our only true ally in the Gulf region, Israel.


Read more: http://freedomoutpost.com/



http://minutemennews.com/2013/10/10-...al-terrorists/