Furious Muslims riot in China over mosque demolition.

Government says Islam is not an officially recognized religious institution in China.

Muslims aren't happy, but China isn't experiencing Islamic Terrorism.

(Reuters)

Hundreds of Muslims in a northwestern China village trying to prevent the demolition of their mosque clashed with police, causing several deaths, Hong Kong media and residents said on Tuesday.

Fighting between police and members of the largely Muslim Hui ethnic group broke out on Friday in Ningxia region, adjacent to Inner Mongolia province, after authorities declared their newly built mosque illegal, the South China Morning Post said.

Hundreds of residents in Taoshan village confronted police armed with teargas, truncheons and knives, the newspaper said.

A Taoshan resident told Reuters he was away at the time of the clash, but that his relatives in the town believed five people, including one of their relatives, had been killed.

The resident, Jin Haitao, said villagers believed the dead included another two elderly woman, a young man and two people from nearby areas.

Residents of nearby areas complained that telephone links with Taoshan had been cut, making it impossible to verify what had happened.

"They were just trying to hold a religious activity but the authorities would not allow it. They demolished the mosque and now they've covered over the ground, because there was so much blood on the ground," Jin said.

A small business owner in Tongxin, three km (two miles) from the mosque site, told Reuters that the village had been sealed off.

"It's ridiculous, I am a Muslim, and Muslims need a mosque. They are just ordinary people, coming together for religious purposes, not to overthrow Communist Party rule," the man said.

China has experienced sporadic unrest among its Muslim minorities, most notably involving the Uighurs, a Turkic language-speaking people native to the country's western Xinjiang region.

There are about 10 million Hui in China, making them the country's largest Muslim group. In many parts of China, the Hui have blended in with the predominant Han Chinese culture, all but abandoning Islam except for some traditions, such as circumcising male children and avoiding pork.

But ethnic tension has led to some unrest. At least seven people were killed in the central province of Henan in 2004 after a car accident involving an ethnic Han Chinese and a Hui sparked rioting.

In 1993, a cartoon ridiculing Muslims led to police storming a mosque taken over by Hui in northwestern China.

Uighurs in Xinjiang rioted against Han Chinese residents in 2009 and at least 197 people were killed, according to official estimates.

China's ruling Communist Party says it protects freedom of religion, but it maintains a tight grip on religious activities and allows only officially recognized religious institutions to operate.

When Principles Are As Important As Political Gain

Rick Santorum represents everything that's right with faith-based leadership.

Sadly, the political process shows us what's wrong with America.

With just five days until the New Hampshire primaries, Rick Santorum has his work cut out for him.  

And if the stress of running for a presidential nomination weren't grueling enough, Santorum's refusal to compromise on his values has unleashed a firestorm of criticism from the mainstream media that is sure to cast doubt within the ranks of an uninformed electorate.

There will be no shortage of political commentary in the days leading up to the NH primary.  My interest in Santorum -- and what I hope will be your interest as well -- is Santorum's ability to be competitive on a national stage after losing his last race for his Senate seat in 2007.

In the Senate, Santorum became known for his social conservatism. He led efforts to ban late-term abortions and led the unsuccessful GOP fight in 2005 to keep Terri Schiavo, a Florida woman who was diagnosed as being in a vegetative state, attached to life-preserving medical equipment.

He derided a 2003 Supreme Court decision that declared a Texas sodomy law unconstitutional, saying, "If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery."

Santorum's stances earned him a solid following among religious conservatives and a spot on Time magazine's 25 most influential evangelists list in 2005.

It also earned him the enmity of many Democrats, women's groups, abortion rights advocates and gay rights supporters, who disliked Santorum's faith-based stance.

Knowing this, most candidates would have moderated their message, and tailored their political stance to the polls.  Santorum's campaign staff urged him on many occasions to do just that, or risk the election.  He refused to compromise his values and ended up losing the Senatorial election for that very reason.

Does that make him politically naive, and unworthy to guide the United States as President?  Or does that make him the perfect candidate for a nation that is becoming increasingly morally bankrupt, and unable to maintain a conviction separate from the most recent public opinion poll?

He is the champion of the average guy -- the forgotten American -- who pays his taxes, fights for freedom and doesn't expect a handout.

He realizes that it isn't only the threat of Jihadism from abroad that threatens our nation, but an internal loss of confidence, an unwillingness to recognize and defend the exceptional nature of this country.

Though he lost at the ballot box in his last electoral attempt, he did not stop beating the drum for fiscal reform and a strong defense for the nation. He is a stalwart advocate of traditional American principles and has not wavered on these matters the balance of the current GOP contenders have done -- many times -- over the years.

Win or lose, private or public sector, Santorum's principles and values have remained steadfast and unshakable.  When did that become a character liability for an individual running for President?

As I was reading a story on the New Hampshire primary this morning on CNN, the following statement jumped out at me.  "The general electorate is now seeing the stark divisions within the GOP up close and personal," says Brown University political scientist Wendy Schiller. "Libertarian, social conservative, and fiscal conservative. Will the real GOP stand up?"

That's telling in and of itself.  The Republican Party has lost its self-identity, and those who support the party are at a crossroads.  It's my opinion that the party will be defined by our choice in 2012 for many years to come, and the thought that "Faith, Family and Freedom" are values outside the mainstream is a chilling proposition.

Thankfully, faith-based conservatives are finally catching on to the Santorum message.  As reported on Fox News this morning, Santorum, who finished just eight votes behind Romney in Tuesday's caucuses, has already seen a surge of online donations, enough to cripple his campaign's website shortly after the Iowa results were announced.

I encourage everyone interested in the political process -- who believes values still have a place in our political process -- to research Rick Santorum and consider supporting the only candidate who has not waivered in his beliefs.

Win or lose, I don't believe we can ever do the "wrong thing" by voting for the "right person."

Rick Santorum for President

P.O. Box 37

Verona, PA 15147

Phone: (888) 321-6675

Email:  info@ricksantorum.com

https://www.ricksantorum.com/

I truly believe 2012 is going to be an awesome year for all God's children.  With your help, our combined efforts can, and will, be successful for our Lord.  Thank you, and God Bless you!

Welcome to the American Independence Alliance Blog

A place for faith-based patriots of the United States of America
to seek Fellowship and effect Positive Change.

We dare not forget that we are the heirs of that first revolution. 

John F. Kennedy

We would like to take the opportunity to welcome our visitors to the American Independence Alliance blog.  We hope you had a wonderful holiday and a safe New Year, and are prepared for the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead for us in 2012.

As you will read in the mission statement pages at the top of this site, AIA was created in response to a series of critical issues that threatens the very fabric of America.  Faith is under assault, our values are being discarded, and our system of government is being destroyed from the inside out by the Secular Progressive Left.

We have prioritized these critical issues under the label of the 7 Credible Threats.  Our writing and political actions will address the challenges stemming from threats.  We are also pursuing a grassroots movement to counteract these threats on a local level across the United States.

Articles will be posted on the blog every day, Monday through Saturday, at 4:00 PM EST.  We encourage you to bookmark the blog and check in daily.  We also ask you to post comments for each article, and share our faith-based message throughout your social media circles such as Facebook and Twitter.

With your help, our combined efforts can, and will, be successful for our God and our great Country.  Thank you, and God Bless you!