‘I AM A MUSLIM FIRST, THEN A GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE’: PAKISTANI MINISTER PERSONALLY OFFERING $100K FOR ANTI-ISLAM FILMMAKER’S DEATH

A government minister in Pakistan has personally offered a $100,000 reward for anyone who kills the man behind an anti-Islam film as deadly riots continue throughout the Arab world.

“I announce today that this blasphemer, this sinner who has spoken nonsense about the holy prophet, anyone who murders him, I will reward him with $100,000,” Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour announced during a news conference Saturday, according to Reuters.

“I invite the Taliban brothers and the Al-Qaeda brothers to join me in this blessed mission,” he said.

Bilour, a member of the left-wing Awami National Party, told CNN he was speaking only on behalf of himself, not the Pakistani government.

“I am a Muslim first, then a government representative,” Bilour said.

At least 15 people have been killed in Pakistan during demonstrations, according to Reuters.

A spokesman for Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said Sunday that Gilani condemns Bilour’s action. A spokesman for the Awami National Party told CNN they have “lots of concerns over the statement of our colleague.”

“We believe in nonviolence. How could we make such announcements?” party spokesman Sen. Zahid Khan said. “Our party has been fighting against militancy and extremism for years. How could we invite Taliban and Al-Qaeda to kill someone? Taliban and Al- Qaeda are our enemies who have killed our loved ones.”

“Innocence of Muslims,” which denigrates the Prophet Muhammad as an adulterer, killer and child molester, has been blamed at least in part for igniting mob violence across the Middle East. While Bilour did not mention by the filmmaker by name, according to CNN, he likely was referring to Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, the 55-year-old California man U.S. officials have said was behind it.

Nakoula has not returned to his Southern California home since leaving voluntarily last week for questioning by federal officers and has gone into hiding with his family.

Bilour’s offer comes after the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad spent $70,000 on ads denouncing the film for Pakistani television.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/i-am-a-muslim-first-then-a-government-representative-pakistani-minister-personally-offering-100k-for-anti-islam-filmmakeers-death/

Like I said, this is only the beginning.

The funny thing is this though, once the surge troops leave Astan, we have the capability to STOP using Pakistan as a convoy conduit for resupply. That mark is going to be at 68k in troop strength. We can do everything by air at that point. That is the time when we need to withdraw all aid to every Muslim country that allows our embassies to be under seige as they are now.

It's amazing how much of our money gets right into the hands of these radical SOBs.




U.S. foreign aid to Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon must stop, says Congresswoman



A top member of the U.S House of Representatives yesterday urged her colleagues -- both Republicans and Democrats -- to cease foreign aid to an Arab nation that is being run by a group on the U.S. State Department's list of terrorist organizations.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said yesterday that no U.S. funds should be provided to the newly-formed Hezbollah government in Lebanon, or to a Palestinian Authority that includes Hamas.

The congresswoman and other lawmakers are concerned that U.S. taxpayer money may end up in the hands of terrorist groups claiming to be political organizations.

“For years, members of Congress warned that it was unwise to fund a Lebanese government in which Hezbollah participated. It was clear that Hezbollah’s influence was growing, and that the Executive Branch had no long-term strategy to deal with that reality, and no contingency plan to stop U.S. aid from falling into the wrong hands," she said.



“Even when the Iran-Syria-Hezbollah axis toppled the Lebanese government in January and it was clear the next one would be Hezbollah-controlled, the Administration kept the aid pipeline flowing," she said.

Many Middle East experts and counterterrorism professionals have been critical of President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's "rose-colored glasses" view of the unrest in the Middle East including the violence in Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Gaza, and Egypt


“Now, Hezbollah and its cohorts will control the Lebanese government and likely benefit from the years of U.S. assistance, including to the Lebanese military. We cannot undo past mistakes, but we can learn from them and safeguard taxpayer dollars going forward," said the Florida Congresswoman.

She echoed what other U.S. lawmakers have been saying: The State and Defense Departments should immediately cut off assistance to the Lebanese government as long as any violent extremist group designated by the U.S. as foreign terrorist organizations participates in it.


“The U.S. should likewise stop funding the Palestinian Authority, where Hamas appears to be following in Hezbollah’s footsteps. By vetoing Fatah’s nominee for PA prime minister, Hamas has demonstrated that it will wield de facto control over the Palestinian Authority," Rep. Ros-Lehtinen said.


“It is time for U.S. assistance to truly advance our interests, rather than benefit the likes of Hezbollah, Hamas, and their partners.”

http://www.examiner.com/article/u-s-foreign-aid-to-hezbollah-controlled-lebanon-must-stop-says-congresswoman

Lawmakers Call for U.S. to Cut Off Aid to Palestinians After Hamas-Fatah Announcement


Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are calling for the U.S. government to cut off aid to the Palestinians after the government in the West Bank reached a tentative unity agreement with Hamas, a U.S.-designated terror group.
The calls from top-ranking members of Congress were laced with warnings that the U.S. risks financing terrorist operatives if aid continues. Significantly, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., noted that a 2006 law conditions U.S. aid on the requirement that its Palestinian recipients renounce violence and recognize Israel's right to exist.
Those requirements were fulfilled when aid was going to the Palestinian Authority, controlled by the West Bank-based Fatah. But rocket-firing Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, does not abide by those conditions.
Ros-Lehtinen and others said a sudden partnership between the two halves of the divided Palestinian government would mean U.S. assistance must cease.
"U.S. taxpayer funds should not and must not be used to support those who threaten U.S. security, our interests and our vital ally, Israel," she said in a written statement. "According to existing U.S. law, such a hybrid government cannot be a recipient of U.S. taxpayer funds because the law stipulates that the PA government must recognize the Jewish state of Israel's right to exist, among other things.
"Therefore, in order to implement existing law, the U.S. must end assistance to the Palestinian Authority," she said.
That's not a small amount of money. The president's 2012 budget request calls for $513 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority, an increase over past years.
Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., agreed that the assistance should be withheld, calling the deal "a recipe for failure, mixed with violence, leading to disaster."
"The United States will be compelled by both law and decency to withhold any assistance that could fall into the hands or control or even partial control of anyone reporting to, or belonging to a terrorist entity, as is Hamas. And in the current political climate, even assistance that would otherwise have gone to parts of the Palestinian Authority untainted by terrorism may no longer be salvageable," he said.
Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., top Democrat on the House foreign aid subcommittee, similarly said the funding is now "at risk."
Israeli leaders already have rejected the prospect of a unity government. With peace talks on the skids as it is, Israelis do not want to negotiate with a Hamas-infused Palestinian contingent.
It's unclear exactly what the unity deal will entail. The Obama administration said Wednesday it was still "seeking more information" about the agreement.
Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the National Security Council, stressed that the U.S. "supports Palestinian reconciliation on terms which promote the cause of peace." He urged Hamas to change its ways.
"Hamas ... is a terrorist organization which targets civilians," he said. "To play a constructive role in achieving peace, any Palestinian government must accept the Quartet principles and renounce violence, abide by past agreements, and recognize Israel's right to exist."
Ros-Lehtinen said an alliance between Fatah and Hamas would mean the Palestinian Authority would be "standing with those who want only death and destruction for Israel."


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/04/28/lawmakers-palestinian-aid-cutoff-hamas-fatah-announcement/#ixzz27L0rRSwI