The Diamond Guru

Understanding Diamonds. The Diamond Guru is the number one source for Diamond Information,Diamond Education,Diamond Advice when Buying Diamonds & Social Comment. Support Ethical & Fair Trading of Diamonds. BEWARE of inexperienced diamond vendors failing in their duty of care. AVOID CONFLICT OF INTEREST DIAMONDS! Verify your diamond prior to purchase with a second opinion from an independent diamond grading laboratory. Visual diamond comparisons NOT price match comparisons are essential.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Israel Leaders of Business Innovation Video

Very interesting points on the difference between Israeli and American young people.

The same could be said for young Australians who spend more time drinking.

Dan Senor, co-author of 'Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle,' discusses with CNBC how Israel has managed to become a leader in business innovation.

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WITTELSBACH DIAMOND

Christie’s were privileged to present the Wittelsbach diamond (SOLD USD$24.3 MILLION), an extremely rare 35.56 carat, historic 17th century fancy deep greyish-blue diamond, to the international market for the first time in almost 80 years, on Wednesday 10 December 2008. Known as ‘’Der Blaue Wittelsbacher’’ since 1722, it is one of very few diamonds which can claim 17th century heritage, incredible rarity and exceptional beauty. Upon the engagement of the Infanta Margarita Teresa (1651-1673), to Leopold I of Austria (1640-1705), who later became Holy Roman Emperor, her father King Philip IV of Spain (1605-1665) selected, in 1664, the diamond as part of her dowry. Subsequently, it entered the Austrian and then the Bavarian Crown jewels. This extraordinary diamond is offered for sale from a private collection, where it has been since 1964.

IF

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling
English author and poet.
In 1907, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English language writer to receive the prize, and he remains its youngest-ever recipient.
Born December 30, 1865 Bombay (now Mumbai), British India
Died January 18, 1936 (aged 70)Middlesex Hospital, London, England

Internally Flawless (IF) Diamonds Click Here

The Grinning Guru

* Faith Hope & Sanity

* Amazing Australians

* You don't know Jack Schitt

* Listen Live 2GB Sydney Radio

* Where's Baz ?

* The King's Pathway- El Caminito del Rey is a walkway, now fallen into disrepair, pinned along the steep walls of a narrow gorge in El Chorro, near Álora in Málaga, Spain. Vertigo Special

*Alcoholic Diamonds

* Man admits having sex with 1,000 cars

*$30 Million Dollar Diamond Bikini

* De Guru's Favourite Bollywood Music Video
Krazy Indians: If played continually your teenage/ adult children will finally leave home of their own accord. Be prepared to smile.

*Time for campaigning Vote Here

Gandhi & Einstein

Of all the world's political leaders - past and contemporary- Albert Einstein's hero was a half-naked Indian, wearing sandals and a pair of thin glasses, and holding a wooden stick. His name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi - better known as Mahatma Gandhi, an honorific title given to him by the poet Rabindranath Tagore.
Gandhi's photo along with those of three physicists, Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday and James Maxwell, graced the walls of Einstein's house in Princeton New Jersey.
Einstein's view of Gandhi was not shared by all political leaders at the time (or even now).
Winston Churchill, for instance, refused to meet Gandhi and ridiculed him as a half-naked fakir, for which Gandhi sent his thanks and added that he would love to be a naked-fakir but was not one as yet.
Gandhi, born in the Indian state of Gujarat in 1869, was 10 years older than Einstein.
They had entirely different backgrounds and education.
What they had in common was their devotion to world peace, non-violent ways of solving political problems, freedom, human rights, kindness to fellow-humans and respect for life. In a world where science and spirituality are often regarded as contradictory and scientists as part of destructive power and war technology, the parallelism in the views of these two great human spirits is a testimony to the great potential and truthfulness of their message.

" I believe that Gandhi's views were the most enlightened of all the political men in our time.We should strive to do things in his spirit: not to use violence in fighting for our cause, but by non-participation in anything you believe is evil. "
Albert Einstein

POLITICS, RELIGION & ATHIESM : Diamond Imports Supports Fair Trade Diamonds

. “The fact is that every single member of the diamond industry, consciously or not, benefited from the very stones that ruined Sierra Leone. That is the simple fact.”

Mr. Edward Zwick, whose movie " Blood Diamond" sparked a multimillion-dollar counter-P.R. campaign from the diamond industry.

There is strong anecdotal evidence that al Qaeda bought gems in the Congo-Kinshasa and Angola as well as Sierra Leone and Liberia. The Congo, with its host of different armies dividing up the country for the purpose of looting, coupled with a long history of a rapacious state and corruption, is long known to be a major financial center for Hezbollah and other armed groups.

* The Interactive SS Microsite

*Sydney Jewish Museum
The Holocaust & Australian Jewish History

*Yad Vashem
The Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority

* I Consult : Lenny Ben David-Analyses and thoughts on events in the Middle East and Washington from an experienced diplomat, analyst, lobbyist, editor and writer

* Dances With Bears John Helmer

* So you want to boycott Israel ?

* Anti Defamation League

*Breaking Point: The Real Story of Israel's Gaza Operation Demand Unbias Reporting

*Israel's Messiah Comparison of World's Major Religions

* Pajamas TV

* Islamic Mein Kampf

*Sharia & Jihad Review

* Walid Shoebat Ex Terrorist now Pro Israel

*World Threats Investigating Your National Security

*Backspin is the weblog of HonestReporting.com, the Mideast media monitor

* This Day In History

General Cosgrove was interviewed on the radio recently.
You'll love his reply to the lady who interviewed him concerning guns and children. Regardless of how you feel about gun laws you gotta love this! This is one of the best comeback lines of all time. It is a portion of an ABC interview between a female broadcaster and General Cosgrove who was about to sponsor a Boy Scout Troop visiting his military headquarters. FEMALE INTERVIEWER: So, General Cosgrove, what things are you going to teach these young boys when they visit your base? GENERAL COSGROVE: We're going to teach them climbing, canoeing, archery and shooting. FEMALE INTERVIEWER: Shooting! That's a bit irresponsible, isn't it? GENERAL COSGROVE: I don't see why, they'll be properly supervised on the rifle range. FEMALE INTERVIEWER: Don't you admit that this is a terribly dangerous activity to be teaching children? GENERAL COSGROVE: I don't see how. We will be teaching them proper rifle discipline before they even touch a firearm. FEMALE INTERVIEWER:
But you're equipping them to become violent killers. GENERAL COSGROVE:
Well, Ma'am, you're equipped to be a prostitute, but you're not one, are you?
The radio went silent and the interview ended.

Buying Diamonds From Reputable Diamond Dealers

Buying Diamonds From Reputable Diamond Dealers

"Buy your Diamond from a Reputable Retailer!"
What does this mean?
How do I tell if the retailer is reputable or not?
Buying a diamond can be a scary undertaking these days. There is an abundance of information available to consumers, but not all of it is accurate.
Hopefully we can clear up a few of the myths and give you some guidelines.
Apart from teaching you the basics about diamonds and the 4 C's, diamond buying guides usually also advise consumers that they should shop at ethical, honest and reputable retailers?
Always insist to see the original diamond certificate, this way you can see which laboratory graded the diamond.
The quality of the certificate, or lack thereof, goes a long way towards telling if you are dealing with someone reputable and professional.
A diamond certificate or diamond grading report is only as good as the laboratory who issued it.
The certificate should come from a reputable, independent and recognized laboratory.
Diamond certificates from respectable labs, meaning GIA, HRD, AGS or DCLA, are totally necessary if you want to compare diamonds intelligently.
We suggest that before buying an expensive item like a loose diamond you should do some research first.
Internationally recognized diamond grading laboratories such as AGS, DCLA, GIA and HRD grade diamonds with the highest standards.
All of these diamond grading laboratories utilize strict procedures, have the most advanced equipment, and affiliations which meet the strict requirements for recognition by international trade organizations.
When buying diamonds you should exercise caution because it is up to you, the consumer, to verify the credentials of the diamond grading laboratory and the diamond merchant, wholesaler or jeweller you are dealing with when buying diamonds or engagement rings.
If when buying a diamond the jeweler tells you that buying a certified diamond is unnecessary, or that there will be an extra charge associated with an independent certificate we suggest that you be extremely cautious and shop for diamonds elsewhere.
Valuations or appraisals are NOT the same as a diamond certificate or grading report.
A diamond certificate documents the complete quality and description of the diamond, it includes information on shape, carat weight, clarity, fluorescence, colour grade, measurements, proportions and finish grade but they never mention the value of the diamond.
Be even more cautious of website dealers who issue their own 'in house diamond certificates' or 'manufacturer's grading reports' as these simply are NOT independent certificates and they are NOT from a recognized laboratory.
For a diamond certificate to be reliable and useful it must have been issued by a reputable, independent laboratory which has had no financial interest in the stone to avoid any conflict of interest.
If you've never heard of the institution that is offering a grading report, don't hesitate to ask about its credentials and that of the people who graded the diamond.
Diamond grading laboratories which grade to IDC International Diamond Council rules, do not just use the opinion and expertise of one person.
They must grade the diamond and have the opinion and consensus of three qualified diamond graders before the grade is applied to any diamond.
A diamond certificate should not be judged by its appearance and graphic design.
Just because someone calls themselves a laboratory or opens up a business to do diamond certificates and valuations after having completed a gemology course, that does not mean they have the needed technical equipment, qualifications, knowledge and expertise.
These small local labs often lay claims of being independent, recognized, and having state of art equipment but what about the qualifications of the directors, graders and that of the person who graded the diamond?
Did they test for all types of treatments and any enhancements?
Do they guarantee that the diamond is natural?
Was the diamond laser inscribed using a cold laser?
Do they grade diamonds to set international rules and standards?
It is one thing to produce great looking certificates but it is extremely important that the certificate or grading report has accurate information and is technically correct.
As a consumer, the diamond certificate or grading report is your safe guard when buying a diamond.
Diamond certificates are invaluable documents that show in detail a diamond's credentials, so why wouldn't you check the credentials of the laboratory who graded the diamond and the retailer or diamond dealer as well?

A Question of Ethics

A Question of Ethics
Diamond Grading Lab Ownership
" At a meeting, a question was tabled whether a diamantaire can operate as partial or sole owner of a diamond grading laboratory.
After discussing this issue at length, the Executive Committee felt that, while it certainly is not illegal, such a situation represents a strong conflict of interest and borders on what could be considered an unethical practice.
The Executive Committee urges member bourses to dissuade their members from allowing themselves to attain such positions. "
Source : World Federation of Diamond Bourses News Update Edition 1 March 2003

Recorded 1980s at historic Storyville Night Club, New Orleans

Here's something you don't see every day. Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino - three of the greatest ivory ticklers of their day - playing pianos on the same stage at the same time.
Brace yourself and make sure your sound is on because this show will rock you out of your seat.
This is a once in a lifetime appearance and one you will not forget!
Ron Woods of the Rolling Stones, Carl Perkins (Blue Suede Shoes) and others playing back-up, a cameo appearance by Rod Stewart and all directed by Paul Schaeffer.

Algerian Author Anwar Malek: The Arabs Have Lost Their Worth, Humanity, and Culture

Additional Reading :

June 2, 2009 Clip No. 2157 Iraqi Writer Najm Wali: Normalization of Relations with Israel - A Historical Necessity for the Arabs Following are excerpts from an interview with Iraqi writer Najm Wali, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on June 2, 2009: Najm Wali: I believe that normalization [of relations with Israel] is a cultural necessity for us, and it is the answer to all those who talk about a clash of civilizations. It is a historical necessity for us Arabs in particular, because it will take us to a new stage – a stage that will transcend the eternal conflict with Israel, and in which we will form new relations with the world. The eternal conflict with Israel has brought us nothing but material losses and loss of human life, as well as a chronic sense of defeat. The common Arab citizen feels that he is being defeated by this tiny country, Israel, which numbers only six or seven million, while the Arab world numbers 300 million. The way to deal with this feeling should be through normalization. As you said at the beginning of this show, this is what the Islamic countries understood, long before the Arabs. The historical ties of Turkey, Malaysia, and Indonesia with Israel have gone beyond mere normalization. Turkey, Syria's partner and the mediator in the indirect talks [with Israel], has a strategic, military alliance with Israel. But I'm sad to say that the notion that prevails in the public discourse is that normalization is a trap for us, a deception. This notion will lead us to more defeats and battles, and the loss of more human lives. Look at other Islamic states, like Indonesia and Turkey. Not only are these countries international powers, which are even accepted as mediators, but they are also economic powers. Like the "Asian Tigers," they did not involve themselves in a daily conflict with a small country. This question has constantly made me wonder, even as a little boy: Why is this tiny state able to defeat us, even though we are 300 million? The problem lies with us. We have to think for ourselves, and build... Interviewer: So the solution to this problem is normalization with this country? Najm Wali: In my opinion, normalization is the first solution, so we can devote ourselves to economic prosperity. Economy is the problem in the world today. Interviewer: Egypt normalized its relations with Israel some 25 years ago or more. Najm Wali: And indeed, it regained the Sinai. Interviewer: But how did it benefit economically? Egypt's economic growth is less than zero. Najm Wali: Why don't you ask the following question: Sinai was occupied, and Egypt regained it... Interviewer: What has Egypt achieved since the normalization? Najm Wali: Let's ask a different question: How many casualties has Egypt suffered since normalization? Egypt has not suffered casualties like it did in the past. [...] What I am saying is that this nation has to coexist in peace. Interviewer: The Islamic nation? Najm Wali: Yes, and especially the Arab nation, which is part of the Islamic nation. I consider it a historical necessity. In addition, peaceful coexistence – let's put aside the issue of Zionism... The Jews are no foreigners here. They've lived in the region for many years, throughout Islamic history. Even in terms of race, ethnicity, and history – they are our cousins. They lived for many years in the Arab Peninsula, in Iraq, and everywhere. We have to benefit from their experience in building a state.

Obama The Next Neville Chamberlain - watch the last 60 seconds by the unfunny Jackie Mason

* Barack Obama Records NOT Released 1.Occidental College records -- Not released 2.Columbia College records -- Not released 3.Columbia Thesis paper -- "Not available" 4.Harvard College records -- Not released 5.Selective Service Registration -- Not released 6.Medical records -- Not released 7.Illinois State Senate schedule -- Not available 8.Your Illinois State Senate records -- Not available 9.Law practice client list -- Not released 10.Certified Copy of original Birth certificate -- Not released 11.Embossed, signed paper Certification of Live Birth -- Not released 12.Record of your baptism -- Not available Oh and one more thing Mr. President, I can ' t seem to find any articles you published as editor of the Harvard Law Review, or as a Professor at the University of Chicago. Can you explain that to me?

Obama Breeds Climate of Hate Against Jews
By Rabbi Dr. Morton H. Pomerantz

Our new president did not tell a virulent anti-Semite to travel to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington to kill Jews, but he is most certainly creating a climate of hate against us.

It is no coincidence that we are witnessing this level of hatred toward Jews as President Barack Obama positions America against the Jewish state.

Just days ago Obama traveled to Cairo, Egypt. It was his second trip in a short time to visit Muslim countries. He sent a clear message by not visiting Israel.

But this was code.

In Cairo, Obama said things that pose a grave danger to Jews in Israel, in America and everywhere.

And if his views are not vigorously opposed they will help create a danger as great as that posed by the Nazis to the Jewish people.

Just last week, Obama told his worldwide audience — more than 100 million people — that the killing of six million Jews during the Holocaust was the equivalent of Israel’s actions in dealing with the Palestinians.

This remark is incredible on its face, an insult to the six million Jews who died as a result of Hitler’s genocide — and it is a form of revisionism that will bode evil for Jews for years to come.

While Obama acknowledged that “six million Jews were killed — more than the entire Jewish population of Israel today” — his discussion about the Holocaust was followed by this statement: “On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people — Muslims and Christians — have suffered in pursuit of a homeland.”

“On the other hand . . . ”?

Obama’s clever construct comparing the mass genocide of six million Jews to the Palestinian struggle will not be lost on the estimated 100 million Muslims who tuned into to hear him.
Perhaps it was not lost on James W. Von Brunn, the 88-year-old white supremacist identified as the alleged attacker Wednesday at the Holocaust Museum. He apparently felt that he could easily take retribution against the Jews for the atrocities Obama implies they are guilty of.

At first blush Mr. Obama’s speech seemed rosy, optimistic — one that espoused tolerance and understanding.

If you scratch the surface it is a dangerous document that history will view as a turning point for America and Israel — one that will lead to dangerous times ahead for both Jews and believing Christians.

The immediate danger posed by Obama’s speech is in its incredible re-writing of the history of Jews, Christians and Muslims from Medieval times to the present.

Obama, continually throughout his speech, talks of Islam’s peaceful intent. And while there are certainly Koranic verses that support this interpretation, Islam has a long and bloody history of violence against fellow Muslims, Jews and Christians.

Has Obama not heard about the Muslim’s violent conquest of the Middle East, Spain and half of Western Europe? Was he never taught that the Crusades sought to turn back this Muslim onslaught that demanded subjugated populations convert or die?

In his almost hour-long speech, there is not a single word about Islam’s well known and checkered past.

Ironically, the American president offered plenty of references to what he sees are America’s evils, such as its “colonialism” and history of slavery.

“For centuries, black people in America suffered the lash of the whip as slaves and the humiliation of segregation,” Obama told his audience, citing a litany o f American shortcomings. He failed to mention that Arab Muslims were the greatest slave traders in the history of humanity.

According to Obama, Israelis, too, are guilty of wrongdoing, especially when it comes to their supposed maltreatment of the Palestinians.

Isn’t it odd an American president would go to a foreign country and slander his own country and its long-time ally?
At the same time he praises — unconditionally — a religion and culture that has a long history of being antithetical to the very values that have made America a great nation?

Mr. Obama even has the unbelievable gall, when talking about the treatment of Muslim women, to condemn Western countries for attempting to stop Muslim women from using the full facial cover, or hijab. This is a symbol of Muslim subjugation of women.

Listen to what Obama said: “Likewise, it is important for Western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practicing religion as they see fit - for instance, by dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear.”

And Obama not only ignores the gross subjugation of women in many Arab societies — he does not mention even once the almost total religious intolerance throughout the Muslim world against Christians and Jews.

In his speech, Obama’s only plea for Muslim women living in Muslim countries is that they should be afforded an education.
How about a discussion of the beheading of Arab women for “crimes” such as adultery? How about the malicious treatment of women in Muslim countries who choose not to wear the hijab?

Obama insists that Islam has promoted tolerance and that in Islamic societies such ideals have flourished.

Obama claimed that “as a student of history” he understands more than most the truth about “civilization's debt to Islam.”
He added, “And throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality.”

Does he not know that a Jew or Christian would be beheaded in Saudi Arabia for practicing their religion today, now, this minute?

Of course, Obama offers not one example of where religious freedom is truly tolerated in the Muslim world. Yet, he proudly told his audience that in every state of the union and throughout the U.S. there exist more than 1,200 mosques.
But why, Mr. President, is there no Christian Church or Jewish synagogue operating within the borders of Saudi Arabia? Not even one.

Why in many countries, including your host=2 0Egypt, Christian churches have suffered vicious and continual persecution? Why is a once vibrant Cairo Jewish community — a home for the likes of Maimonides — today practically extinct?

Why, dear president, has the ancient Christian community in the West Bank and places like Bethlehem been almost completely wiped out by the modern Muslim onslaught?
“On the other hand,” to quote you Mr. President, you avoided mentioning some other truths.

Let’s start with the Israeli Arabs who can claim one of the highest standards of living in the Arab world. Indeed, they have more rights than Arabs in any Muslim country, their religious freedom is completely protected, and they even vote in free elections.

Tell me what Muslim country matches Israel’s record in protecting its minorities?

Even Arabs in the West Bank, during the time of Israeli control, saw their standard of living rise dramatically. Today, Arabs there are among the best educated in the world, thanks to Israel.

In your revisionist view, Israel has acted to harm these people. But it was not Israel that could not abide by United Nations resolutions clearly setting borders for both the state of Israel and an entity that had never existed before named Palestine.

You cleverly omitted any discussion of these facts, or the continual attacks against the state of Israel over six decades by its Muslim neighbors. Nor is it the Israelis who persecute from time to time the Coptic Christians of Egypt.

No, Mr. President, I do not accept your assertion that you are seeking religious tolerance or that you are seeking to protect Jews. I do not accept it because you are inventing a false history to fit your own agenda.

Mr. President, I am deeply disturbed that you would offer such a distortion of truth in the hopes of creating a lasting peace. A lasting peace cannot be created out of lies, distortions and half truths.

You profess to be a Christian. But you seem more intent on protecting Muslims. In your speech you talked openly of your Muslim heritage, your admiration of their way of life, and so forth. You said in your speech that you have made one of your chief aims of your presidency repairing the image of Islam.
Why did you hide these views from the American public during the recent presidential campaign?

Why, as president, did you fully bow to the Saudi king, who refuses to allow any religious freedom for any Christian or Jew?

You have made clear, by your words and assertions, that you are re-positioning the United States away from Israel, America’s lone democratic ally in the Mid-East.

You have made clear through your statements and those of your minions that Israel should, under no circumstances, prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons.

And yes, you have promised to retaliate against Iran if it ever attacks Israel with nuclear weapons.

But you know full well that if Iran succeeds in its admitted goal of “wiping the Jewish state off the map” — and hits this tiny nation with nuclear warheads — there will be no Israel for the U.S. to retaliate on behalf of.

Some Jews may be naïve, but we are not stupid.

Rabbi Dr. Morton H. Pomerantz is a member of the Reform movement of Judaism and serves as a chaplain for the State of New York. A former Navy and Marine Corps officer and chaplain, he has also served as deputy national chaplain for the Jewish War Veterans of the United States

Some Jews may be naïve, but we are not stupid.

Rabbi Dr. Morton H. Pomerantz is a member of the Reform movement of Judaism and serves as a chaplain for the State of New York. A former Navy and Marine Corps officer and chaplain, he has also served as deputy national chaplain for the Jewish War Veterans of the United States.

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If you haven't read the wonderful book of Brigitte Gabriel, a Lebanese Christian woman thrown out of her home by Palestinians, you should. It's called: Because they Hate.

Below, Brigitte, who now lives in America, writes to President Obama, bringing her unique perspective to bear.

Her study of world History is very accurate.

Brigitte Gabriel - Letter to President Obama.

Dear Mr. President,

You face difficult challenges in matters such as achieving peace in the Middle East and protecting America from the threat of radical Islam and terrorism.

These are challenges that have vexed past presidents, going as far back as our second president, John Adams.
I have no doubt you appreciate both the gravity of these challenges and the enormous obstacles that exist to solving them.

I also have no doubt that you and your staff understood that, no matter what you said in your speech last Thursday in Cairo, there would be those who would take issue with you.

That is always the case when attempting to solve problems that are as deep and emotionally-laden as these challenges are.

I am assuming it is your sincere hope that the approach you have chosen to take, as evidenced by what I'm sure was a carefully crafted speech, will ultimately prove successful.

However, it pains me to say this sir, but, while you said in your speech that you are a "student of history," it is abundantly clear that, in these matters, you do not know history and thus, as Santayana noted, you are doomed to repeat it. In doing so, your efforts, however well-intentioned they may be, will not produce what you profess to hope they will produce.

A wise man once said that if you start with the wrong assumptions, no matter how logical your reasoning is, you will end up with the wrong conclusion.

With all due respect Mr. President, you are starting with certain assumptions that are unsupported by history and an objective study of the ideology of political Islam.

You began in your speech by asserting that "tensions" exist between the United States and Muslims around the world, which, of course, is correct. Unfortunately, you then proceeded, incorrectly, to lay virtually all the blame for these tensions at the feet of America and the West.

You blamed western colonialism, the Cold War, and even modernity and globalism.

A student of American history, who is not trying to reconstruct it to fit a modern politically correct narrative, would state that tensions between America and Muslims began with the unprovoked, four-decades long assault by the Muslim Barbary pirates against American shipping in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

I find it telling that you mentioned the Treaty of Tripoli in your speech but ignored the circumstances that led to it. That treaty was but one of numerous attempts by the United States to achieve peace with the jihadists of the Barbary Coast who were attacking our shipping and killing and enslaving our citizens and our soldiers and who by their own admission were doing so to fulfill the call to jihad.

These jihadists were not acting to protest American foreign policy, which was decidedly isolationist, and there was no state of Israel to scapegoat. They were doing what countless Islamic jihadists have done throughout history, acting upon the hundreds of passages in the Qur'an and the Hadith that call upon faithful Muslims to kill, conquer or subjugate the infidel.
A student of world history would know that, for all the acknowledged evils of Western colonialism, these evils pale in comparison to the nearly 14 centuries of Islamic colonialism that began in Arabia under the leadership of Mohammed.

The student of history would know that Islamic forces eradicated all Jewish and Christian presence from Arabia after Mohammed's death, and then succeeded in conquering all of North Africa, most of the Middle East, much of Asia Minor, and significant portions of Europe and India, eventually creating an empire larger than Rome's was at its peak.

The number of dead and enslaved during these many centuries of Islamic imperial conquest and colonialism have been estimated to total more than 300 million. What's more, the wealth of many of the conquered nations and cultures was plundered by the Islamic conquerors, and millions of non-Muslims who did survive were forced to pay onerous taxes, such as the "jizya," a humiliation tax to the Islamic caliphs. Indeed, in some areas Christians and Jews were made to wear a receipt for the jizya around their neck as a mark of their dishonor.

These facts have not been invented by Christian or Jewish historical revisionists, but were chronicled by Muslim eyewitnesses throughout the past 14 centuries and are available to be researched by any person seeking an objective understanding of how Islam spread throughout the world.

You say in your speech that we must squarely face the tensions that exist between America and the Muslim world.

That is a laudable notion with which I agree, but by casting Islam as the historical victim and the West (and by implication, America) as the aggressor, you do not face these tensions squarely, but alleviate the Muslim world from coming to grips with the jihadist ideology embedded in its holy books and acted upon for 1,400 years.

Even worse, you empower and embolden militant Islamists who regard your gestures as signs of weakness and capitulation.

The issue is not that all Muslims are terrorists or radicals or extremists. We all know that the majority of Muslims are not. We also know that many peace-loving Muslims are victims of Islamist violence.

The issue is this: what drives hundreds of millions of Muslims worldwide to call for the death of Jews?

What drives millions of Muslims to riot, destroy property, and take innocent lives in reaction to the Danish cartoons?

What drives tens of thousands of Muslims to demand the execution of a British teacher whose only "crime" was allowing her students to name their teddy bears "Mohammed"?

What drives countless Muslims worldwide to actively participate in, or fund, or provide nurture to terrorist organizations?

What drives Muslims in mosques in America to proclaim and distribute materials that call for hatred of and the destruction of infidels?

What drives entire Islamic countries to prohibit the building of a church or synagogue?

To assume, as you apparently do, that what drives these actions is not an ideology embedded in the holy books of Islam, but rather other "root causes," most of which you lay at the feet of America and the West, is at best naïve and at worst dangerous.

Lastly, I must address your statement that "Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance." Unfortunately, the examples you gave are the exception rather than the rule.

Historically speaking, I seriously doubt the Egyptian Copts, the Lebanese Maronites, the Christians in Bethlehem, the Assyrians, the Hindus, the Jews, and many others who have been persecuted by Islamic violence and supremacism, would agree with your assertion.

For instance, Christians and Jews became "Dhimmis," a second class group under Islam. Dhimmis were forced to wear distinctive clothing; it was Baghdad's Caliph Al-Mutawakkil, in the ninth century, who designated a yellow badge for Jews under Islam, which Hitler copied and duplicated in Nazi Germany nearly a thousand years later.

I witnessed first-hand the "tolerance" of Islam when Islamists ravaged my country of birth, Lebanon, in the 1970's, leaving widespread death and destruction in their wake. I saw how they re-paid the tolerance that Lebanese Christians extended toward them. My experience is not an isolated one. When you make an unfounded assertion about the "proud tradition" of tolerance in Islam, you do a great disservice to the hundreds of millions of non-Muslims who have been killed, maimed, enslaved, conquered, subjugated or displaced in the cause of Islamic jihad.

Mr. President, those of us like me who are ringing the alarm in America about the threat of radical Islam would like nothing better than to peacefully co-exist with the Muslim world.

Most Americans would like nothing better than to peacefully co-exist with the Muslim world. The obstacle to achieving this does not lie with us in America and the West. It lies with the hundreds of millions of Muslims worldwide, including many of their spiritual leaders, who take seriously the repeated calls to jihad in the Qur'an and the Hadith. Who regard "infidels" as inferior and worthy of conquering, subjugating and forcibly converting?

Who support "cultural jihad" as a means to subvert non-Muslim societies from within? Who take seriously the admonitions throughout the Qur'an and the Hadith to convert the world to Islam by force if necessary and bring it under the rule of Allah?

Unless you are willing to courageously and honestly accept this, your aspirations for worldwide comity and peace in the Middle East are doomed to fail.

Sincerely,

Brigitte Gabriel
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The Diamond Guru

Thursday, November 5, 2009

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