What happened to Brian Terry? Why are the FEDS covering up?

From: Jeff Schwilk <jeffschwilk@cox.net>
Subject: New Details and the Latest News on Murder of Agent Brian Terry
To: Undisclosed-Recipient@yahoo.com
Date: Thursday, December 30, 2010, 12:36 PM

Great collection of the very latest news articles plus a timeline at the bottom of the events in Peck Canyon that night. 

 

Bottom line:  Heavily armed Mexican bandits were operating in an American canyon on Dec. 14, about 13 miles north of the Mexican border.  A firefight occurred and an American agent was shot and killed.  Our border is more dangerous and deadly than ever and the Obama Administration refuses to take the necessary steps to secure our border and protect American citizens.  We look forward to Congressional hearings about this incident in the coming weeks and months.

 

More rumors and few facts regarding the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry

by Hugh Holub on Dec. 29, 2010, under border issues, drug smuggling, politics

http://tucsoncitizen.com/view-from-baja-arizona/2010/12/29/more-rumors-and-few-facts-regarding-the-death-of-border-patrol-agent-brian-terry/

It is getting stranger and stranger regarding the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry west of Rio Rico on December 14th.

Agent Terry was part of a Border Patrol Tactical unit (BORTAC) pursuing bandits in Peck Canyon west of Rio Rico, Arizona.

As noted by many, the federal stonewalling of information about the incident creates more doubt, suspicion and rumors.

The fact that the 4 suspects caught by the Border Patrol haven’t been named or charged after 2 weeks really raises some serious questions. Why is there no real information coming out from the feds?

First, a suspect (the bandit who was shot in the incident) was initially named in an Arizona Republic article on December 17th. That was also reported in the Examiner:

Captured Illegal alien in BP agent murder has a U.S. rap sheet

“The Border Patrol said that Manuel Arianes, a.k.a. Manuel Arellanes Osorio, was wounded in the gunfight. Arianes, 34, and a Mexican national, was convicted in Maricopa County Superior Court in 2006 for aggravated assault on a police officer, and had been deported to Mexico twice, according to sources familiar with his case,” Arizona’s The Republic reported.

More….

But, suddenly the identification of the suspect vanished from the Republic.

Fox11 even had a photo of the suspect.

Here is the news so far….

KGUN Channel 9 in Tucson reported that there are four non-citizens in custody in the incident according to an attorney defending one of the suspects who was injured in the incident. But the names still haven’t been released.

Attorney: detainees in Border Patrol murder are not US citizens
…According to Williams, immigration law allows federal authorities to hold non-citizens for lengthy periods of time without releasing their names to the public.  Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials confirmed to 9 On Your Side that ICE does not release the names of any suspects simply facing immigration charges.

More….

UPDATE: The Nogales International reported on 12/29 :

Two weeks after agent’s murder, detainees face only immigration charges

Two weeks after the Border Patrol detained four men following the fatal shooting of Agent Brian Terry near Rio Rico, none of the four apparent suspects has been charged in connection with the killing, defense attorneys say.

More…

UPDATE: The Star chased the KGUN story  12/30  No Charges yet in slaying of US agent

…The federal government has given Williams’ office and the three private attorneys representing the other three men very little information about the investigation. However, the attorneys don’t expect anyone currently in custody to be charged with the shooting, Williams said.

More…

The Star also noted it was not releasing the names of the suspects because they hadn’t been charged yet.

UPDATE: The Arizona Republic also had a story up on 12/30 

Arizona border patrol: Still no charges in agent’s killing

More than two weeks after Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was gunned down in a shootout near Nogales, federal authorities have yet to identify the suspects they arrested or to file any charges in connection with the slaying.

Leslie Bowman, a Tucson attorney who represents one of the men picked up after the Dec. 14 gunbattle, said she has never seen such a case in 18 years of work in federal court.

“This is unusual,” said Bowman, whose client has denied involvement in the incident. “What the heck’s going on? That’s what people are asking.”

Border Patrol officials referred media inquiries to the FBI, which is carrying out the criminal investigation. An FBI spokesman and a representative at the U.S. Attorney’s office said they were not divulging anything about the probe or the suspects.

David Gonzales, U.S. marshal for Arizona, declined to identify those arrested, but confirmed that five men are in federal custody on felony immigration charges. Four were arrested the night of the homicide, Gonzales said, and a fifth was captured the next day.

“I’m sure that in the next week or two there will be indictments coming down in connection with the shooting,” Gonzales said.

Terry, 40, a member of the Border Patrol’s elite tactical squad known as BORTAC, was searching a canyon area near Rio Rico for gangsters who prey upon smugglers and illegal immigrants. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said gunfire erupted when his team of four agents ran into a group of banditos. Terry died at the scene; one suspect was wounded.

Although arrests were announced within hours, authorities withheld the suspects’ names. Neither the FBI nor the Border Patrol has provided details about the tactical mission or what transpired that night.

Bowman said the lack of public information could signal that investigators were having trouble building a case, or struggling to determine what happened with the BORTAC operation.

“My guess is that they’re trying to sort this thing out,” Bowman said.

Bowman said her client was voluntarily deported after an arrest for illegal entry in July, but has no record of criminal convictions. Under a streamlined federal program, she said, defendants in his situation typically plead guilty to an immigration violation and are immediately deported. Instead, her client was charged with a felony and initially was held in isolation.

“He’s not really connected with this thing,” Bowman added. “But somebody thinks he is.”

Attorneys for the other suspects could not be reached.

And here is the other stuff floating around about the incident: 

Bean bags v AK 47s from Tom Tancredo.

9OYS Investigates: Border Patrol deadly force policy Channel 9 KGUN in Tucson chased the Tancredo story that Terry was armed with bean bag rounds.

Still no information on suspects  from the Immigration Ckearinghouse which trashes the Trancredo post.

New Details in Murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry from the New American, a John Birch Society website.

Something fishy going on  … from Three Sonoras on the Citizen

Attempt to focus on immigration even though a murder of Border Patrol took place  from the Citizen’s Three Sonorans…in which he has discovered that the 4 suspects apprehended are only being charged with illegal re-rentry.

The real shocker was the following email from a Bob Price. I tried to chase down Mr Price about the email to no avail.

—– Forwarded Message —-
From: ”bprice777@comcast.net” <bprice777@comcast.net>
To: ”Price, Bob” <bprice777@comcast.net>
Sent: Mon, December 27, 2010 10:55:17 PM
Subject: Agent Terry United States Border Patrol
 BORTAC Shooting Incident (11 TCANGL 121570000077)

On December 14, 2010, at approximately 11:13 p.m., a report of shots fired was broadcast over the radio by a member of TCA/BORTAC.  The agent reported that an agent had been “hit” and that a possible bandit had been struck as well during the armed encounter.  The area of the armed encounter is reported to be in an area known as “Peck Well”, near Rio Rico, Arizona.

Nogales Radio (KAK-865) immediately notified Emergency Medical Services (EMS), as well as Life Flight.

Field Operations Supervisor (FOS) Luke Bilow responded and set up a Command Post on Mesquite Seap, in an area known as “Peck Mesa”, where a landing zone was also established for the responding Life Flight.  Supervisory Border Patrol Agents (SBPA) Knab and Johnson responded to the scene.

Air Assets:  National Guard “Falcon One” and an OAM  Blackhawk and Omaha 7AM” en route to assist in locating assailants.

On December 15, 2010, at 12:10 a.m., it was reported that there was one assailant in custody, with multiple gunshot wounds.  A second Life Flight was contacted and is en route at this time.

The injured agent, identified as Brian Terry (Class #699/EOD 7/23/07), is currently in a Service vehicle being transported to the landing zone for the awaiting Life Flight helicopter.

Tucson Sector Investigations Branch SBPA Kevin Jones was notified of the situation.

A search for the outstanding assailants (reportedly 2) is ongoing.

Notifications:

11:19 p.m.:  (A)APAIC Adame
11:19 p.m.:  (A)PAIC Dikman
11:23 p.m.:  ACPA Mark Rios

Updated information and timeline as of 2:38 a.m.

Six BORTAC Agents were conducting laying-in operations in the Peck Well area on December 14, 2010.  At approximately 11:15 p.m., a group of approximately five individuals approached their position, coming from the east.  BORTAC Agents identified that at least two of the individuals were carrying rifles.  After identifying themselves as Border Patrol Agents, Detailer BORTAC Agent Gabriel Fragoza (Class 595/EOD; 7/11/05), from the Blythe Station/Yuma Sector, deployed two rounds from a less than lethal device (bean bags from shotgun).  Agent Fragoza also discharged an unknown number of rounds from his Service issued sidearm.

BORTAC Agent Timothy Keller (Class 653/EOD: 1/16/07), from the Calexico Station/El Centro Sector, discharged an unknown number of rounds from his Service issued M-4 rifle.  After the armed encounter, BORTAC Agent Terry called out that he was hit and couldn’t feel his legs.  Agent Terry lost consciousness shortly thereafter.

Updated information and timeline as of 4:10 a.m.

SBPA Raul Chacon of the International Liaison Unit was contacted and he notified Mexican authorities of the situation.  C-4 was contacted.

ICAD ticket# 2045 was created for the incident.

Arizona Department of Public Safety dispatching air assets to assist in the search for the outstanding assailant(s).

At 3:40 a.m., the wounded suspect arrived to the landing zone to be air lifted by Life Line to University Medical Center (UMC).  Preliminary reports indicate the suspect was shot twice in the abdomen, and once in the upper back.  The suspect is coherent and identified himself as Manuel OSORIO-Arellanes (DOB: 8-4-76, POB: Choix, SIN, Mex.).

At 3:41 a.m., Agent Terry was transported by EMS to the Tubac, Arizona Fire Station.  Carroon’s Mortuary personnel will be transporting Agent Terry to Carroon’s Mortuary in Nogales, Arizona.  Agent Terry is being escorted by Tucson Sector Honor Guard personnel.

The search continues for the outstanding assailant(s).

BORTAC Armed Encounter Timeline:

December 14, 2010

11:15 p.m.:  BORTAC reports shots fired near Peck Well
11:18 p.m.:  EMS/EMS Agents en route.
11:21 p.m.:  Lifeflight and CBP/OAM contacted.
11:28 p.m.:  Life Line en route.
11:33 p.m.:  Air Omaha 7AM contacted.
11:35 p.m.:  FOS Bilow sets up Command Post on Peck Mesa, near Gasline.
11:36 p.m.:  National Guard Air Falcon One en route.
11:36 p.m.:  Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Deputies arrive at Command Post.
11:38 p.m.:  Landing Zone (LZ) created at Command Post (N31.49879 W-111.07986)
11:39 p.m.:  EMS at Command Post.
11:39 p.m.:  Tucson Investigations Branch (Kevin Jones) contacted.
11:40 p.m.:  Reported that the injured agent is unresponsive/no pulse.
11:41 p.m.:  Air Omaha 7AM en route.
11:44 p.m.:  Tucson Investigations Branch/CIT en route.
11:53 p.m.:  Life Line standing by at Landing Zone.
11:58 p.m.:  BORTAC Agents report one suspect apprehended (with gunshot wounds).
11:59 p.m.:  Omaha 7A9 and Omaha 747 (Blackhawk) in the area.

December 15, 2010

12:03 a.m.:  Second Life Line contacted for wounded suspect.
12:09 a.m.:  Wounded BORTAC Agent (Brian Terry) loaded into vehicle.
12:10 a.m.:  Second Life Line en route.
12:10 a.m.:  Mobile Surveillance Unit relocated.
12:14 a.m.:  Falcon One in area.
12:19 a.m.:  Agents en route to Ramanote Well to head off outstanding assailant(s).
12:23 a.m.:  FOB Agents mobilizing further east on Ruby Road.
12:38 a.m.:  Second Life Line on site.
12:46 a.m.:  BORTAC Agent Terry arrives to Landing Zone.
12:51 a.m.:  BORSTAR from Blackhawk rendering assistance.
01:06 a.m.:  Dr. Chan pronounces Agent Terry dead.
01:35 a.m.:  Reported that there are four subjects in custody at this time (one being gunshot), with one subject outstanding but spotted.
02:04 a.m.:  Falcon One goes 10-7 for fuel.
02:40 a.m.:  TCA Sector Radio informs Nogales Station that DPS Air Ranger en route.
03:05 a.m.:  DPS Ranger in the area.
03:25 a.m.:  Falcon One 10-8, on scene to assist.
03:40 a.m.:  Wounded suspect arrives to LZ, en route to University Medical Center.
03:41 a.m.:  Agent Terry is transported to Carroon’s Mortuary in Nogales, Arizona, escorted by Tucson Sector Honor Guard personnel. 

Twice deported POS involved in shooting death of Border Patrol Agent.

Bob Price Nunca Deje Que El Fuego Verde Se Apagare

The thing about the Price email is the description of the incident has a lot of gov-speak detail that is either a masterful work of fiction or is based on something real. Could not verify this email. So it is posted here more as an example of the kind of stuff that floats round the web in the absence of solid information.

However…the description of the incident…

Six BORTAC Agents were conducting laying-in operations in the Peck Well area on December 14, 2010.  At approximately 11:15 p.m., a group of approximately five individuals approached their position, coming from the east.  BORTAC Agents identified that at least two of the individuals were carrying rifles.  After identifying themselves as Border Patrol Agents, Detailer BORTAC Agent Gabriel Fragoza (Class 595/EOD; 7/11/05), from the Blythe Station/Yuma Sector, deployed two rounds from a less than lethal device (bean bags from shotgun).  Agent Fragoza also discharged an unknown number of rounds from his Service issued sidearm.

BORTAC Agent Timothy Keller (Class 653/EOD: 1/16/07), from the Calexico Station/El Centro Sector, discharged an unknown number of rounds from his Service issued M-4 rifle.  After the armed encounter, BORTAC Agent Terry called out that he was hit and couldn’t feel his legs.  Agent Terry lost consciousness shortly thereafter

Sounds like there was a lot of gunfire in the dark and possibly Agent Terry could have been hit by friendly fire.

To figure that out, one would have to match bullets with guns…assuming the Border Patrol recovered the bandits’ weapons. It is standard procedure in state and local police shooting incidents to take all weapons used in the incident for forensic work…so by now the feds ought to know whose bullets hit Agent Terry.

If it turns out to be true that Agent Terry was hit with friendly fire, that does not for a second change the basic issue of the incident…we have armed bandits running around and BORTAC was out in the dark trying to protect the undocumented immigrants and the public who are prey for the bandits.

Brian Terry is a hero.

All the swirling rumors and claims just further emphasises the fact that the federal government is being really dumb in refusing to provide any substantive information about the incident.

There are a lot of issues that come up after an incident like this…some of which may not reflect well on the Border Patrol’s management. So be it. Problems don’t get resolved by hiding stuff.

Feds making a big mistake in secrecy over death of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry

Govt airlifts ALIEN MURDERER BEFORE Agent Brian Terry!!!

Our Government is complicit in the murder of Border Agent Brian Terry.  His blood is all over Napolitano and Obama.  When will Americans say enough is enough?  

Listen to our interview with Sheriff Paul Babeau on Freedom Talk Netcast:  www.freedomtalknetcast.com
He is standing tall, and giving orders to use LETHAL FORCE on these thugs, finally!!  

Date: Tuesday, December 28, 2010, 1:37 PM
 

FORWARD FAR AND WIDE!

 

Agents in Nogales are talking, off the record, about what really happened in Peck Canyon the night of the firefight between armed Mexican cartel members and the BORTAC team.  The brass in Nogales, Tucson, and DC is very worried about the facts getting out to the public and have issued a gag order on all agents.  They are threatening agents that they will be fired if they are caught talking about the facts of Terry's murder.  A lot of tips are coming in from agents now through back-channels.  They want the truth about Terry's murder to be known. 

 

Bottom line:  A series of bad BP/DHS procedures, policies, and protocol, all designed to protect Mexican criminals inside the U.S., most likely resulted in the needless death of Agent Brian Terry on the night of Dec. 14, 2010.

 

 

Tip from Thursday night (12/23) from trusted senior source inside USBP.  We need to get this confirmed ASAP!  Congress and the media, where are you??

 

 

I can't relate details for the safety of some agents and supervisors.  However the word is that when
Terry and the illegal alien bandit were both wounded, the BORSTAR helo came down on the scene and
they opted to airlift the alien first to the hospital.  Terry was loaded onto a vehicle and driven
out to where another helo was parked, thereby the alien was given first priority for medical
service. 

At this point we can't confirm this but it sounds like it is coming from people who know. 

I am hoping Brian Terry did not die in vain.  We need to keep the heat on through the holidays and
until the new Congress is installed and then push with all our might for hearings. 

 

 

Remember, the twice deported Mexican National who was wounded is a confirmed drug cartel member who was also convicted of assaulting a Phoenix police officer several years ago.  He was wounded in the foot.  Agent Terry reportedly waited many minutes before being flown out.  I have heard it was up to a half hour before they could fly him out.  He reportedly died enroute to the hospital.

Jeff Schwilk, Founder
www.SoCalPatriots.com
www.SanDiegoMinutemen.com

The Islam I Left Behind

The Islam I Left Behind

By Amil Imani

Looking back, I see no particular time or event that, in one stroke, severed my link with Islam. There was nothing nearly as dramatic as what reportedly happened to Paul on the road to Damascus transforming him from a rabid Christian persecutor to a devoted follower of Jesus.

My alienation from Islam started as far back as I could discern things. More to the point, I never embraced Islam in the first place, although I was born and raised in a Muslim family.

I believe in a modified version of Occam's Razor, popularly known as the law of parsimony. To me, an explanation with the fewest assumptions is either the correct one or the preferable one. The best answers, more often than not, are the simple answers.

My search for answers has taken me on a journey of discovery in the competing, crowded, and confusing marketplace of ideas. I noticed a universal human need to believe in some power or forces beyond ourselves and beyond the finite and the corporeal. If there were no God, we humans would make one up, it is said. In order to satisfy this seemingly innate need, three major contentions have emerged: rejection-ism, characterized by dismissing any and all gods; deism, positing a god who created the universe, set it in motion, and let it play out without interfering in it; and God-ism, with many gods, that demanded a super-god to sort them out.

Of the three camps, God-ism seemed to me the most attractive and troubling at the same time. And Islam's God-ism -- Allah-ism steeped in superstition, replete with nonsensical explanations and discriminatory Sharia law -- repulsed me. All I needed to guide my life was contained in the ancient Zoroastrian triad of good thoughts, good speech, and good deeds. The Ten Commandments are a sensible extension of the above triad, and the Universal Charter of Human Rights is its further elaboration.

Things Islamic not only did not resonate with me, but they also often clashed head-on with what I valued and loved. What appealed to me and even enchanted me were more often than not taboo in Islam or anathema to the creed. I loved life, beauty in all its forms, poetry, the ancient Iranian culture and traditions. I loved laughter, celebrations of joy such as birthdays, our yearly festivities of Nowruz, my favorite that lasts for thirteen days. Nowruz, this ancient festival, has been celebrated for thousands of years by my people; it ushers in the spring, welcomes renewal of life, and expresses optimism for the year ahead to bless us with good health, abundant food, family, and friends in the land of a civilized, free people.

I owe my parents a great debt of gratitude for not pounding into me a blind belief. They allowed and even encouraged me to think for myself, to chart my path in life. Father was my model. He treated Mother and the girls as unquestioned equals. Mother, by her deeds, taught me that my friends, who happened to be Muslims, Jews, Christians, Baha'is and Zoroastrians, were every bit as worthy and Iranian as we were. She welcomed them all to our home and often at our table.

From very early on, I was troubled by Islam. It labeled people who were all alike differently and built walls separating them instead of bringing them together. Islam, the dominant religion of my native country, stigmatized non-Muslims and even persecuted them. I began questioning the value of religion. I couldn't see much in Islam that attracted me, and I knew just about nothing regarding the religion of my friends and neighbors. I sought answers, but not from the mullah at the mosque because I had a feeling I wouldn't like his answer anyway. I had heard their line more than I cared to. I began reading as widely as I could, and it helped.

I discovered, that historically, as far as it can be determined, all human groups lived by codes of beliefs. The codes were far from universally uniform, either in context or formality. Yet they all served the critical function of prescribing behaviors that enhance the welfare of the group while proscribing those that undermine it. In tandem with the emergence of the code of conduct was the practice of rituals. While the code of conduct secured order within the group, rituals gave it a sense of identity, essential for solidarity of the "in-group" against the ever-present threats of the "out-group."

Over time, the code of conduct and rituals merged, to various degrees, to serve the group. Some examples are religious ceremonies, secular observances, and the mixtures of the two.

Codes of conduct require enforcement. The physically strong, and perhaps the more cunning, emerged as group leaders and enforcers -- chiefs, sheiks, earls, lords, and kings are continuations of this line of authority. Yet all along, there was a realization that an authority or authorities with much greater powers transcended that of the human. The ancient Greeks' various gods, and the pre-Islamic idolaters of the Arabian Peninsula represent this line of thinking.

Among some human groupings, the utilitarian value of prescriptions and proscriptions for the group evolved into the belief in opposing superhuman powers. Good things, such as bountiful rain, great harvest, and plentiful game, for instance, were seen as the offerings of the benevolent superhuman, while famine, earthquakes, plagues, and so forth were attributed to the actions of the malevolent superhuman. The Zoroastrian concept of Ahuramazda -- the god of good -- and Ahriman -- the lord of evil represents this line of belief.

At some point, monotheism appeared on the scene. The Abrahamic religions represent this line of development. One Supreme Being was posited as the all-powerful, all-everything author of the universe. It simplified things greatly. No need to supplicate many gods, or please one and antagonize another. This Supreme Being communicated with humans through intermediaries of his choosing, some so claimed. And through these intermediaries, He prescribed laws and ordinances. Obedience to His laws attracted His blessings, and disobedience incurred His wrath, often administered by human agencies in this world with more to come in the purported next world.

The God of the monotheist is a hands-on God. And Islam's Allah is extremely hands-on. He leaves virtually no room for anything or anyone to do anything without his full knowledge and authorization. In the Quran, it is explicitly stated that not even a leaf falls from a tree without the decree and knowledge of Allah -- just one of innumerable assertions that define the all-everything Islamic superhuman.

In more recent times, another form of evolution appeared on the scene. The work of Sigmund Freud represents this line of development. God was marginalized. God was reduced to a hypothetical father figure who would reward or punish the children, depending on their actions. Yet, a form of duality was posited within the individual: the Id representing the impulsive, the ungoverned by the code of conduct; the amoral, devoted exclusively to self-gratification; and the Superego, standing for the law-abiding, the moral, and the caring for others.

My love of reading the inexhaustible treasure of exquisite Iranian poetry helped nurture me. Along the way, I learned about and revered Cyrus the Great and a host of other Iranians who personified all that is good and in line with the great benevolent God, Ahuramazda. The more I learned and witnessed about Islam, the more it repelled me, for it is much more in accord with that of the agent of evil, Ahriman.

Islam glorifies death by calling many of its martyrs the solders of Allah. Islam preaches superiority of the "we" and inferiority of the "other." It is a creed steeped in superstition, demands blind obedience to authority, and sanctions just about every form of freedom -- the very precious gift of the Creator Ahuramazda that makes us humans. Everything in Islam is in black and white. One is either Muslim -- good -- or non-Muslim -- bad. Men are superior; women are subservient. This life is worthless and should be offered for the pleasure of Allah as defined by the clergy.

Islam is a creed of a primitive age. It is fixated in time and place; it harbors the ambition of taking the 21^st-century world back fourteen centuries and ruling it by its dogma of intolerance, injustice, and death. Yet Islam is not only an obsolete vestige of a defunct era, but itself is an infinitely fractured belief that can hardly put its own home in order. The numerous Islamic sects are at each other's throats; sub-sects and schools despise one another as much as they hate the non-Muslims. Hatred, not love, drives Islam.

I came to the realization that the root cause of my people's degradation and suffering is Islam. It is a creed that was imposed on an enlightened, tolerant, and free people at the point of the sword by savages hailing from the Arabian Peninsula during the seventh century with promises of booty and women in this world and glorious eternal sensual rewards in the promised paradise of Allah in the next. With each passing day, I rejoice more and more in my good fortune, in my ability to avoid the yoke of Islamic slavery and its blinders that imprison a billion and half people by walls of superstition, hatred of others, and celebration of death.

It is distressing to witness Islam making headway in the traditionally non-Islamic lands. Masses of brainwashed faithful, semi-literate Muslims, badly underserved in their own native lands, are moving to countries where the "infidels" welcome them with material wealth denied to them in their own homeland, as well as the liberty to subvert the very societies that give them refuge.

Even more distressing are those goodhearted simpleton non-Muslims up in arms defending the rights of Muslims to practice their religion in free societies such as the United States of America. These well-meaning, badly misguided folks don't realize that practicing Islam requires subverting and destroying any and all non-Islamic beliefs and practices. All one needs to see this deadly aspect of Islam is to examine how Islam is practiced in places such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia, and even the so-called more moderate Islamic states such as Egypt.

The overflowing treasuries of the oil-enriched Islamic rulers finance legions of pampered clergy with a highly vested interest in maintaining and promoting the creed. Islamist apologists and mercenaries are collaborating shamelessly with the clergy in portraying a greatly deceptive picture of what Islam is in order to win a highly coveted prize -- the West.

Truth can be distorted and even hidden for a time. Yet it invariably emerges. Thus is the case with Islam. Although it is, by its deceptive means, attracting some adherents in foreign lands, it is losing them by the tens of thousands in its own region as more and more people see for themselves the evil belief and deeds of this creed. It is from the ranks of the newly emancipated that voices of alarm are raised to warn mankind about the true nature of Islam. Even a cursory examination of the teachings of Islam, the life of Muhammad himself, and the conduct of Muslims in the world provide irrefutable evidence for the fact that this creed, called religion, is anathema to all that is cherished by civilized and fair-minded human beings.

I am not against Muslims. I condemn Islam and those who support and promote it. In the same sense, I am not against slaves, but I am against slavery and those who advocate and advance it. The very practice of Islam is tantamount to perpetuating and practicing slavery. Slavery enslaves the body, while Islam entraps the mind. Both ideals and practices are abhorrent and detrimental to the realization of our highest hopes as human beings.

I left Islam behind because that's where it belongs -- behind in history. I summon Muslims to cast off this belief. I urge all people to resist Islam's encroachment, not to be deceived by its sanitized version presented in the non-Islamic lands, and to encourage Muslims to free themselves from its shackles.

Amil Imani is the author of Obama meets Ahmadinejad.